Trumpeter swans are the largest waterfowl species found in North America  and have a white body with black bill and coloring on their face. They have black legs and a long white neck with their beak being black and sloping downward.

These swans can range from 20-30 pounds and measure 5 feet in length and have a wingspan of up to 7 feet. The males and females don’t have any distinct differences to them and look similar.

Trumpeter swans are found in Alaska, Canada, and the northern United States, even being found in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Some birds will migrate from Canada to the Midwest United States for the breeding season.

They require habitats near water, usually wetlands or rivers, however, these birds live on land. They prefer shallow bodies of freshwater that are open for them to forage and swim.

Trumpeter swans like to eat aquatic plants and invertebrates that are in the freshwater wetlands. The younger birds will often eat a diet heavy in aquatic invertebrates that provide them with enough nutrients to grow and develop. 

To feed on vegetation underwater, the swans will tip in the air with their tails bobbing up and root the plants underwater to pull them free by paddling their feet in the mud.

Trumpeter swans are monogamous, and the males will put on a courtship display to win over a female mate. Both parents are involved with building a nest, which takes about 4 weeks and are composed of grasses and other vegetation.

The female will lay anywhere from 4-6 eggs during April-May and incubate them for 32-37 days. The young cygnets will be able to swim and forage after 24 hours but won’t be able to fly for 90 days and are independent at 1 year old.

The trumpeter swan has a call that is very deep and loud, which is often compared to a trumpet, which could be the reason it’s called a trumpeter swan!

Trumpeter swans can run at a speed of 30 mph on water and flap their wings until they gain enough momentum to take off and fly.