The black swan seems somewhat of a mystery in the UK. One article I found indicated that these
swans are fairly rare in the region, whereas a photo blog that I came across suggested there at least 40 of them at Leeds Castle with several more in St James Park, where I saw them. Perhaps the implication is that there aren't any really any naturally occurring ones in the wild and that those that exist are typically contained to particular locations near palaces and castles. They are not rare in general; their typical habitat is in Australia, and their numbers are stable, so the black swan in and of itself is not a rarity--certainly not like the odd one out, as we are often given to believe--but they are just not common in the UK. As you can guess, given their natural habitat and origin, they were brought here from yet another colony. I find them quite striking in appearance with their red beaks!
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