Their heads and necks are often stained a rusty color from feeding in ferrous (containing iron) waters. In deeper water, they tip up completely to snap off the leaves and stems of plants growing underwater. Trumpeter swans use their strong webbed feet to dig into the pond or lake bottom for roots, shoots, and tubers, then plunge their heads and necks underwater to eat what they've dug up. They also feed on the stems, leaves, and seeds of other aquatic plants. The tubers of duck potato and sago pondweed are important foods for trumpeter swans. By the age of 2 to 3 months, the cygnets' diet is basically the same as that of the adults. At about 5 weeks of age, their diet changes to include more vegetation. Newly hatched cygnets feed mainly on aquatic insects and crustaceans. Although able to swim immediately, they usually stay in the nest for at least another 24 hours. When they hatch, the downy young (called cygnets) are grayish with pink bills and weigh about 1/2 pound each. The pen spends an average of 35 days incubating the eggs while the cob stays nearby to defend the nest against intruders or predators.
Red swan extended full#
Once the nest is complete, the pen lays one egg every other day until she has a full clutch, usually from 3 to 9 eggs. The same nest site may be used for several years. The nest mound, which takes about 2 weeks to build, reaches a diameter of 6 to 12 feet and an average height of 18 inches. The male (called a cob) gathers nest material, uprooting marsh plants such as cattails, sedges, bulrushes, and horsetail, and brings them to the female (called a pen) for placement. Sometime between late March and early May, they build their nests, choosing locations close to the water, either on shore, small islands, or muskrat and beaver lodges. Trumpeter swans establish life-long mates at approximately 3 years of age and nest the following year. State fish and wildlife agencies are currently undertaking recovery efforts to reestablish populations in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Other trumpeters are found in mixedmigratory/non- migratory groups across the Great Basin region of Alberta, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Minnesota. Today, the central Alaska population winters from southeastern Alaska along coastal British Columbia south to the mouth of the Columbia River on the southern border of Washington State. The trumpeter swan's historic breeding range extended in a wide band from the Bering Sea east through almost all of Canada and south to Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. The trumpeter swan is the largest waterfowl in North America and the largest swan in the world.
North America is home to three species of swans: the native trumpeter and tundra (formerly known as whistling swan), and the non-native mute. Keep reading to learn about the characteristics, distribution, life history, and species status of the remarkable Trumpeter swan.
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