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Trumpeter Swans

As I sat in the grass by the edge of the pond that sits adjacent to the grotto in West Bend, Iowa; I am captured by the magnificent bird of white that is gliding across the water with ease. It is such a magnificent site to behold. The beauty and grace of the bird, with its brilliant white feathers contrasting against the dark waters of the pond and the tall regal neck that beholds a black face and eyes, mesmerizes me. I am intrigued enough to get up off my spot and go read the plaque that tells me about this mammoth bird.

 
This is a trumpeter swan. It is the largest of the North American waterfowl, actually in the world. This bird has an interesting and almost disastrous story. A long time ago the native Trumpeter Swan once flourished throughout the North American continent from Illinois to Oregon in the United States and James Bay to the Yukon in Canada. During the 19th and 20th century the Trumpeter Swan was hunted nearly to extinction. For both game and their feathers, these majestic beauties were almost wiped off the face of the earth.
 
Their feathers were once regarded as a prize most sought after for the highly elegant writing quills. Despite their low numbers the majestic presence was missed in most of their native habitats. Local scientist and wild life preservationist began a campaign to reintroduce the species into its native lands in the hopes to repopulate the ever dwindling birds.
 
As the groups tried to reintroduce the species there were a few pitfalls that began to diminish the hopes of having the birds flourish. Scientist began to realize that the swans were beginning to die because of lead poisoning. They also realized that most of the natural habitat for the swans was being lost to population growth. This created new obstacles for reintroduction.
 
During the 60’s there began a new combined effort to increase the Trumpeter Swans numbers in North America. The Trumpeter Swan Society established itself in 1968 to combine the efforts of scientists and concerned citizens to collaborate their efforts to reestablish the population. The effort has paid off.
 
In the past thirty years the efforts to reestablish the numbers of Trumpeter Swans in their native areas have increased by 400%. There are still concerning issues of lead poisoning, loss of habitat due in part to the population of people moving into their native habitat and then the competition of non native mute swans in the area for food.
 
Swans can be identified by sleek black beak and face with a slight rose color line around the mouth opening. Each bird has brilliant white feathers that make it seem impervious to the cold. The feathers at the top of their heads however can turn colors due to their diet. In areas of high iron salt content they can turn an orange hue. The male is called a cob and the female called a pen, they mate for life. In the wild their lifespan can be up to 30 years however in the last 30 years it has known to be around 12.
 
A swans migratory patterns have remained the same for a long time. Moving across north America during the wintering months. The pen and cob mate for life and the pen will lay roughly 3-7 eggs at one time. The young are called cygnets and are grey in color. The swans feed on arrowhead, sago, pondweed, wild celery tubers and the stems and leaves of waterweed, pondweeds, water milfoil, white water buttercup, muskgrass, burreed, and duckreed. They stay in shallow water that is between one and three feet deep.
 
They are called trumpeter swans because of the noise that they make. Their calls resemble a French horn. They are pretty gentle but can be territorial if they have a hatch of cygnets around. All and all if you contact your local Department of Natural Resources you can find ways to include a nesting box near your pond to help bring back the species. A majestic bird always adds to the scenery and the largest of the North American waterfowl can do just that.
 
For more information on how you can help with the repopulation efforts visit on the web:

http://www.trumpeterswansociety.org

Written By: 
Jocelyn Frohwein

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