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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about trumpeter swans. These swans get their common name from their trumpet-like voices. Here’s an example of what they sound like. Trumpeter swans are closely related to whooper swans and some scientists believe that these two birds should be classified as the same species. For the purposes of this episode, we’ll be discussing them as separate species. In comparison to whooper swans, trumpeter swans almost never have a yellow spot on their bills and their bills form more of a V shape on their foreheads.

Trumpeter swans are considered to have one of the best conservation success stories. In the 1930s, these birds nearly went extinct. Due to over-hunting, there were fewer than 100 individual swans known to be living south of the Canadian board. Protections were put in place, and today these swans number more than 60,000 across their range. The trumpeter swan’s current range is more fragmented than their historic range, but they’re still making a comeback. Their biggest threats today include accidental hunting through mistaken identity with tundra swans as well as habitat loss.

Trumpeter swans are endemic to North America meaning they are both native to North America and only found in North America. Depending on the time of year, these swans inhabit marshes, ice free rivers, forest lakes, brackish water estuaries and more. In general, they need about 100 yards of open water from which to take off for flight. Trumpeter swans migrate southward for the winter in family groups numbering two to 25 individuals. In spring, they’ll return to nesting grounds, for the breeding season.

Trumpeter swans remain with the same partner until one of the pair dies. Between the ages of two and four a pair will begin forming bonds, though they likely won’t start nesting for at least a year. Trumpeter swan nests are large piles often built on muskrat and beaver lodges or islands of vegetation. These are reused year after year. A female will lay four to six eggs and spend just over a month incubating them. The male may help with incubation duties, but the female is believed to do most of the work. The hatchlings are able to swim within their first day of life, but they’ll continue to return to the nest during the night or when it becomes too cold. It takes about three to four months before they begin to fly. In the wild, trumpeter swans may live to be more than twenty years old.

Trumpeter swans are most vulnerable to predation when they’re young even though their parents aggressively defend them. Predators to trumpeter swans include bears, coyotes, ravens, raccoons, bald eagles, falcons, and more. The swans themselves are mostly vegetarian. For their first few weeks of life, trumpeter swans may eat a good portion of aquatic insects and crustaceans, but within a few weeks they are almost entirely eating a plant based diet of aquatic vegetation. Trumpeter swans pull up plants from the bottom of shallow waterways or dabble to reach deeper foliage. In the winter, these birds may take more terrestrial plants such as berries.

Trumpeter swans are often cited as the largest living waterfowl, though this title is also often given to the similar sized mute swan who can be heavier than trumpeter swans. What do you think? Male trumpeter swans are larger than females, but on average these birds weigh 25 pounds (11.3 kilograms) and have eight foot (2.4 meters) wingspans.

For more facts on trumpeter swans check out the links in the description. Thank you to Ms. Aussie for today’s request! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.