NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Black-necked Swan
Cygnus melancoryphus (Molina, 1782)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Black-necked swan (Cygnus melancoryphus), Parque Bicentenario, Santiago, Chile
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The black-necked swan (Cygnus melancoryphus) is a species of South American waterfowl in the tribe Cygnini of the subfamily Anserinae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands. The black-necked swan is the smallest true swan on average, weighing between 3.5–8.7 kg (7.7–19.2 lb) as adults, but it is still the largest species of waterfowl native to South America.
Wikipedia contributors, Black-necked swan; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:14:01.385207+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cygnus melancoryphus (Molina, 1782)
- Name authority
- (Molina, 1782)
- Common name
- Black-necked Swan
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Cygnus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae Leach, 1820
- genusCygnus Garsault, 1764
- speciesCygnus melancoryphus (Molina, 1782)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cygnus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinator Richardson, 1831 | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tundra SwanCygnus columbianus (Ord, 1815) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Whooper SwanCygnus cygnus (Linnaeus, 1758) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black SwanCygnus atratus (Latham, 1790) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mute SwanCygnus olor (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Cygnus melanocorypha (Molina, 1782) (Molina, 1782) | synonym |
| Cygnus melanocoryphus (Molina, 1782) (Molina, 1782) | synonym |
| Anas melancorypha Molina, 1782 Molina, 1782 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=174991 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:32ZQ8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.