Subspecies
| Genus | Species | subspecies | Region | Range |
| Cygnus | buccinator | NA | nw |
Genus
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae. There are six to seven species of swan in the genus Cygnus; in addition there is another species known as the Coscoroba Swan, although this species is no longer considered related to the true swans. All evidence suggests that the genus Cygnus evolved in Europe or western Eurasia during the Miocene, spreading all over the Northern Hemisphere until the Pliocene. When the southern species branched off is not known. The Mute Swan apparently is closest to the Southern Hemisphere Cygnus (del Hoyo et al., eds, Handbook of the Birds of the World); its habits of carrying the neck curved (not straight) and the wings fluffed (not flush) as well as its bill color and knob indicate that its closest living relative is actually the Black Swan. Given the biogeography and appearance of the subgenus Olor it seems likely that these are of a more recent origin, as evidence shows by their modern ranges (which were mostly uninhabitable during the last ice age) and great similarity between the taxa.
Physical charateristics
Listen to the sound of Trumpeter Swan
[audio:https://planetofbirds.com/MASTER/ANSERIFORMES/Anatidae/sounds/Trumpeter Swan.mp3]
Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto
| wingspan min.: | 210 | cm | wingspan max.: | 230 | cm |
| size min.: | 150 | cm | size max.: | 180 | cm |
| incubation min.: | 33 | days | incubation max.: | 37 | days |
| fledging min.: | 84 | days | fledging max.: | 120 | days |
| broods: | 1 | eggs min.: | 4 | ||
| eggs max.: | 8 |
Range
Habitat
Favors large but shallow freshwater ponds or wide, slow-flowing rivers, with lots of vegetation. Most of current range is in forested regions, but at one time was also common on northern prairies.
Reproduction
Nest:
Site is surrounded by water, as on small island, beaver or muskrat house, floating platform. Nest (built by both sexes, although female may do most of work) is a low mound of plant material, several feet in diameter, with a depressed bowl in the center.
Same nest may be used in subsequent years.
Clutch 4-6, up to 9. Whitish, becoming nest-stained. Female does most of incubating but male often does some; eggs hatch in 32-37 days.
Young: Can swim when less than 1 day old. Both adults tend young, leading them to feeding sites. Young are not fully capable of flight until 3-4 months after hatching. 1 brood per year.
Feeding habits
f, wild celery, bulrush, burreed, and many others. May eat terrestrial grasses and waste crops in winter. Young eat many insects and other small invertebrates, mainly during first 2 weeks after hatching.
Behavior: Takes food from underwater or on or above water’s surface; sometimes feeds on land, especially in winter. To forage in deeper water, swans upend with tail up and neck extending straight down, finding food by touch with bill.
Video Trumpeter Swan
copyright: MObirds
Conservation
Migration
Most southern populations are non-migratory. Northern Trumpeters move south in late fall as waters begin to freeze. Flocks often fly low in V-formation. Spring migration begins early, birds often reaching nesting territory before waters are free of ice.
Distribution map
