Good luck in trying to find a black swan pair with the DNA Mearl color disposition. It is a hit and miss proposition. Individuals that have these pairs usually will not sell them. If they do, it will be for an exorbitant amount of money and we could not even begin to give you a price. On the other hand, we have known unscrupulous breeders who will state that they have such a pair only to charge a large price and the client receive a regular breeding pair of black swans.

Just because the swans have the genetic disposition, does not necessarily mean that they will produce the coloration. We also know that 2 mearls usually are infertile. Placing one swan on the lake is probably not a good idea. If you are going to get swans, you should think about getting either 2 males or 2 females as they will not produce young. In many areas, a breeders license is required if a non-native species, such as a swan is introduced into an area and they are allowed to breed. Even if they are allowed to breed, you will need to have a plan for the disposition of the young as most swans breed once a year and can produce 1-13 cygnets. Black swans breed twice a year and can produce 1-7 cygnets. Eventually, the lake is not going to be big enough for that many swans and you will need to find a good home for the offspring.

If you are going to get any species of swan, you need at least a pond with 1/2 to 1 acre of water. This does not include surrounding habitat such as open grass banks away from woodline areas to prevent predation from coyote, bobcat, foxes, raccoons, etc.

The pond needs to be at least 5-6 feet deep in the middle to allow for swimming with shallow areas, 1-3 feet around the banks. The more shallow the pond the greater chance that the swans can die from botulism. If a severe drought occurs, the swans will be able to get into muck areas that they otherwise would not due to the high water level, thus picking up the anaerobic bacteria which causes the deadly toxin.

Finally, swans cannot live in brackish water. The salt will eventually kill them as they cannot filter the salt from the water. The Regal Swan
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