Trumpeter Swans

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The Trumpeter Swan is the largest native North American bird and the largest waterfowl species anywhere. The male, called the Cob, is 57 to 64 inches in length and has a wingspan of up to 3 feet. It is a heavy bird weighing in at 26 pounds. The female, called the Pen, is slightly smaller.

The Trumpeter Swan has white plumage with a long slender neck. In profile its head appears to be an angular wedge-shape. The bill is black with a reddish-pink line along the lower jaw.

Rather than the startling white plumage of the adult, juveniles are gray in color. The gray feathers give way to white as the bird matures, but a few gray feathers will still evident for up to 2 years.

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At one time the Trumpeter Swan range included most of northern North America, but due to intense exploitation their numbers dropped drastically. As of 1932 there were only 69 pairs in the lower 48 states. It wasn't until 1954 that breeding Trumpeter Swans were discovered in Alaska. The Trumpeter Swan is rare in the lower 48 states, but its numbers are increasing in Alaska and Canada.

The Trumpeter Swan's breeding habitat is large shallow ponds and wide, slow rivers. They migrate to and from the Pacific coast flying in V-shaped flocks.

Trumpeter Swan pair with a mate as 2-year-olds, but don't breed until the 3rd or 4th year. If one mate is lost, the remaining swan will find a new mate before the following breeding season. As their eggs require a lengthy incubation period, the pair begin nesting as soon as the spring thaw permits. They typically nest in a small marsh adjacent to a lake or stream. Using uprooted plant matter, the swans build a nest mound that can be 6 to 12 feet in diameter and 1 to 2 feet above the water. A well made mound will be used by the same pair year after year.

The female will lay 2 to 7 eggs over the following 5 to 12 days. The eggs are incubated for 31 to 35 days. It will be another 11 to 15 weeks before the hatchlings fledge.

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The Trumpeter Swan eat foliage, seeds, and tubers of a variety of marsh plants such as pond lilies, horsetails, pondweed, and bulrush. The average adult will consume up to 20 pounds of vegetation every day. Trumpeter Swans residing in the lower 48 states will feed on winter wheat, vegetables, and unharvested grains.

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The Trumpeter Swan is not officially listed as threatened or endangered, but its numbers are lower than some species that are. The total count of Trumpeter Swans is less than that of the Bald Eagle.

1. The Trumpeter Swan's call is deep and has been compared to the sound of a French Horn.
2. Adult Trumpeter Swans moult (shed their flight feathers), in the summer. Females temporarily lose the ability to fly shortly after her eggs hatch. The males don't start moulting until the female has regained the ability to fly.
3. The average lifespan of a Trumpeter Swan in the wild is 12 years but they have been know to live for up to
4. In the 19th century the Trumpeter Swan was hunted extensively for its feathers. They were used to make ladies' power puffs and to adorn their hats.

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