Five cygnets expected as nesting season begins at Kuğulu Park

ANKARA

Five cygnets are expected to hatch at Ankara’s iconic Kuğulu Park after a black swan entered its annual incubation period, offering visitors the prospect of welcoming a new generation of the park’s beloved residents.

The park is home to 11 black swans and three white swans, one of the capital’s best-known attractions. This year, a female black swan has begun incubating five eggs while her mate remains nearby, guarding the nest.

The incubation period for swan eggs typically lasts between 35 and 40 days, with the chicks expected to emerge in late July or early August.

Erkan Yıldırım, the caretaker responsible for the swans, said the breeding pair had laid five eggs during the current nesting season.

He noted that swans generally lay eggs once every eight months and said protective fencing had been installed around the islands in the park’s pond to ensure the birds’ safety during the incubation period.

Yıldırım also asked visitors not to feed the swans, warning that unsuitable food could endanger their health.

Explaining the swans’ breeding behavior, he said the adult pair naturally drives away their previous offspring as a new nesting season approaches before beginning to incubate a fresh clutch of eggs. The older cygnets are then relocated to a separate area within the park.

“Hopefully, at the end of July or the beginning of August, we will all celebrate the arrival of the new swans together,” Yıldırım said.

Home to 11 black swans and three white swans, Kuğulu Park stands as one of Ankara’s most beloved attractions.