Rural Perspectives: Trumpeter swan makes a successful comeback

The trumpeter swan is our largest and heaviest waterfowl, weighing
nearly 30 pounds. Photo credit Diane Constable

by Diane Constable

This time of year we see birds that are stopping by on their way south. One of these is the beautiful and native trumpeter swan that travels just far enough to find open water.

These magnificent birds were near extinction, with only 70 left nationwide in the 1950s. In the 1980s, MSU and Kellogg Bird Sanctuary acquired Alaskan eggs and began rebuilding the populations in Michigan, now up to about 4,000 birds. Some may even be nesting in our area.

The trumpeter swan is named for its loud call, one of the loudest worldwide. Its scientific name is Cygnus buccinator, which means swan trumpet.

With a 10-foot wingspan, they are our largest and heaviest waterfowl, tipping the scales at nearly 30 pounds. They need 100 yards of runway to become airborne.

Trumpeters are white with a black beak and feet, unlike the smaller non-native mute swan that has an orange beak. Sometimes the neck can be mud-stained a brown or reddish color because the birds extend their neck and stir up the muck at the bottom of the ponds when looking for aquatic plants and insects to eat. During the winter, they also eat leftover grains in farm fields.

Pairs mate for life and return to the same nest each year. Nests are built on muskrat or beaver dens, small islands, or vegetation clumps away from shore in water no more than 6 feet deep. Nests can be up to 11 feet long and 3 feet high, with about a 15-by-11-inch bowl in the center. If disturbed, trumpeter swans will abandon the nest.

They lay four to six eggs that they keep warm by covering them with their enormous feet. Within 24 hours, the cygnets can walk, swim, and feed. In 90 days, they can fly.

Fun Fact: The short legs of trumpeter swans make them awkward walkers. Yet, by the time they are a week old, they can walk more than a mile.