The Trumpeter Swan

By Harry Engels

1. The trumpeter swan is a North American bird and is the largest wild swan in the world. It weighs as much as thirty pounds and has a wingspan of seven to eight feet and a body over five feet long. The loud call of the trumpeter swan can be heard for more than a mile. Once common over much of North America, trumpeter swans were reduced to near extinction by the early 1900s.

2. In early spring, often before the ice has completely thawed, the trumpeter swan returns to its nest. The annual courtship routine consists of honking, dipping heads, and flapping wings. If left undisturbed, the swan will return to the same nesting place each year.

3. The nest of the trumpeter swan is huge, sometimes as large as five to six feet across. It is made of reeds, cattails, or marshgrass and often contains plant roots too. Usually four or five eggs are laid and it takes about thirty-five days for them to hatch. The female does all of the incubating while the male stays nearby and watches for danger.

4. The young swans are called cygnets and are expert swimmers from the day they are hatched. They follow their parents on short feeding excursions and then return to the nest to get dry and warm. As they grow larger they venture farther from the nest but still continue to use it for a resting and preening place.

5. In 1935 the Red Rocks Lakes National Wildlife Refuge was established just west of Yellowstone Park to protect the estimated forty-six wild trumpeter swans left. By 1950 there were 400 trumpeter swans in the United States and about 1,000 in Canada. With complete protection, these swans are still increasing in number. Besides the Red Rocks Lakes, trumpeter swans are found in Alaska and in Grand Teton National Park.

Photos by Harry Engels