Class: Aves

Order: Anseriformes

Scientific Name: Cygnus cygnus buccinator

Range: Southern Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta and Wyoming

Habitat: Quiet waters of lakes, marshes or sloughs that are not subject to wave action

Diet: Wild: Leaves and stems of pondweed and crowfoot, tubers of arrowhead and shoreline plants and seeds of water lilies and sedges Zoo: Waterfowl breeder pellets and generic grain

Gestation: Incubation: 33-40 days

Litter: 4-8 eggs

Description: Trumpeter swans are the largest of all waterfowl, measuring 60-72 in. in length and weighing 19-28 lbs. It has a totally white body with black legs and a black bill with a narrow red border along the edge of the lower mandible. Females are identical to males, though slightly smaller. The trumpeter has the loudest voice of all swans. Its horn-like call is deep and resonant.Trumpeters travel in small groups consisting of families and pairs. They are aggressive when claiming territory. Pairs claim nesting grounds far from other nesting pairs, choosing sites where food is available and where small bays can serve as a defense. More swans die from illegal shooting and lead poisoning than from any other cause. Trumpeter swans mate for life, mating for the first time in their third year. They may use the same nest each year. The nest is 5-6 ft. wide and 3 ft. high. The trumpeter swan was listed as an endangered species from 1931 to 1971. As early as 1700 the future of these elegant birds was in jeopardy. Demand for their down for use in pillows, quilts and powder puffs, as well as their feathers for hats, threatened this species with extinction. In 1935 a survey in the U.S. and Canada revealed only 200 trumpeters left. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo participates in a reintroduction program for this species.

Where in the Zoo? I can be found in the Waterfowl Lake at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.