Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 54.3–62.2 in
138–158 cm - Wingspan
- 79.9 in
203 cm - Weight
- 271.6–448 oz
7700–12700 g
Other Names
- Cygne trompette (French)
- Cisne (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Trumpeter Swan was hunted for its feathers throughout the 1600s - 1800s, causing a tremendous decline in its numbers. Its largest flight feathers made what were considered to be the best quality quill pens.
- Swans can live a long time. Wild Trumpeter Swans have been known to live longer than 24 years, and one captive individual lived to be 32.
- Trumpeter Swans form pair bonds when they are three or four years old. The pair stays together throughout the year, moving together in migratory populations. Trumpeters are assumed to mate for life, but some individuals do switch mates over their lifetimes. Some males that lost their mates did not mate again.
Habitat
Lake/Pond
Breeds in freshwater marshes and along ponds and lakes. Winters in lakes, streams, springs, rivers, and reservoirs.
Food
Plants
Submerged and emergent aquatic vegetation, grasses, grains.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–9 eggs
- Egg Description
- Creamy white.
- Condition at Hatching
- Covered with down and eyes open. Leaves nest within 24 hours of hatching and has the ability to swim and feed.
Nest Description
Nest a large open bowl, made of aquatic vegetation, grasses, and sedges, lined with down and some body feathers. Usually placed on slightly elevated sites surrounded by water, such as a muskrat mound, beaver lodge, or small island.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Dabbler
Tips up to reach submerged aquatic vegetation.
Conservation
Least Concern
Original declines were the result of commercial trade in swan skins and excessive hunting. Populations generally increasing. Several states and provinces have programs to reintroduce Trumpeter Swans.
Credits
- Mitchell, Carl D. 1994. Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator). In The Birds of North America, No. 105 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.