Trumpeter Swan - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by CurtMorgan
Jackson, Wyoming, USA

Cygnus buccinator

Identification

145–163 cm; females - 139–150 cm

• White plumage
• Long neck
• Pink-edged black bill
• Short black legs
  
• Cygnets are grey, moulting into adult plumage after the first year.

Distribution

Western North America

Juvenile
Photo © by sw2001
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada,
21 February 2021

Taxonomy

Photo © by etow
Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area, Ohio, USA, November 2003

Monotypic^[1]

Habitat

Juvenile (discolouration from having fed in an iron-rich pond)
Photo © by Hughv
Annapolis, Maryland, 22 April 2021

Wetlands, large shallow ponds and lakes, wide slow rivers and marshes.

Behaviour

Breeding

The nest is a mound of vegetation on a small island. The 3-10 eggs are incubated by the female for around 35 days.

Diet

Their diet consists mainly of aquatic plants, which are usually reached by dabbling, also grass and grain in winter. Cygnet's diet is initially augmented by small crustaceans and insects.

Vocalisation

Call: trumpet-like honk.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Birdforum Member observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Trumpeter Swan. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 9 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Trumpeter_Swan

External Links

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