Swans have long been regarded as symbols of eternal love and fidelity. However, researchers from Australia have discovered that they are actually promiscuous tricksters, frequently leaving their nests to seek romantic escapades elsewhere.
DNA testing indicates that for every six cygnets, one is the product of an affair—this revelation shatters the image of monogamous devotion typically associated with these birds.
Currently, researchers at the Department of Zoology at the University of Melbourne are trying to understand how female swans manage to sneak away from their partners—known for their protective nesting behavior—to pursue “side flings.”
The experiment was conducted with black swans. Sixty male swans at Albert Park Lake in Melbourne were fitted with tiny microchips attached to their tail feathers. In contrast, the females were equipped with mini tracking devices, known as decoders.
“When a male and female mate, the female’s decoder identifies the microchip on the male’s tail, recording the ID number for ‘him’ as well as the time of copulation,” said Dr. Raoul Mulder, the lead researcher.
“All mating events will be documented on the decoder. After a few weeks, we will recapture the swan and download the recordings that perfectly capture the female’s pairing behavior.”
Mulder explained that the research focused on black swans because their larger bodies can accommodate tracking devices, and their populations are more abundant than the white swans introduced to this continent.
In addition to providing insights into the sexual behavior of swans, the study may reveal the complex mate selection processes of female swans, Mulder noted.
“Mating with other swans always comes with risks, so this behavior must confer some evolutionary benefits,” he added.
T. An
