The species Cygnus olor is known colloquially as the common swan, white swan, mute swan or vulgar swan.
The concept of swan comes from an Old French word that, in turn, has its origins in the Greek kýknos . A swan is a bird characterized by the extension and flexibility of its neck .
It is important to mention that there are different species of swan. Most of them are part of the genus Cygnus , although there are exceptions.
The common swan
The specimen of the Cygnus olor species is known as the common swan , white swan , vulgar swan or mute swan . It is possible to find it in the wild in regions of Great Britain , Germany , France , Denmark and Sweden , among other Western countries .
The common swan is identified by having a caruncle (a fleshiness) in the beak area. Another peculiarity is that the beak has a reddish or orange hue.
White swans usually live in low-flow rivers and lakes. They are territorial animals that develop colonies and feed on plants, insects and amphibians.
Europeans became aware of the existence of the black swan at the end of the 17th century.
Cygnus atratus
Just as the Cygnus olor is associated with white plumage, the Cygnus atratus is known as the black swan because of the color of its feathers . It is a species endemic to Australian territory.
Europeans discovered the existence of the black swan in the late 17th century . Until then, they believed that all swans had whitish plumage, so the recognition of Cygnus atratus caused a great surprise .
However, it should be mentioned that, at birth, the black swan's down is white. Only around six months of age do the famous black feathers begin to appear.
The black swan theory
It is interesting to note that, by analogy to how surprising the discovery of Cygnus atratus was, the Lebanese philosopher Nassim Taleb developed the theory of the black swan . The thinker appealed to this image to describe that event that appears unexpectedly, causes an impact and then, based on retrospection, ends up being explained rationally, which generates the feeling that it was expected to happen.
The terrorist attacks that occurred in the United States on September 11, 2001 are often cited as an example of the black swan theory. The attacks took the world by surprise and had an enormous global impact. As the days passed, different issues and circumstances were analyzed in retrospect that indicate, for many analysts, that an event of this magnitude was feasible.
Expressions and metaphors that appeal to the notion
According to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), an individual who stands out for his excellence in the field of music or poetry can be named as a swan.
On the other hand, we speak of the swan song to refer to the last performance or work of a person before his retirement or death . This is linked to a belief from ancient times that indicated that swans, in the moments before their death, sang in a way that was very pleasant to the ear .
The scientific explanation is linked to the fact that the white swan or mute swan is not usually recognized by its vocalizations (although it is not actually mute). The whooper swan, on the other hand, does produce a sound when expelling its last breath due to the structure of its trachea. A confusion between both species would have given rise to the assumption that swans do not make any sound until the moment of their death.