All four species of swans found in North America have been spotted in Canada. They are the Mute Swan, Trumpeter Swan, Tundra Swan, and Whooper Swan.
This steer will help you identify the types of swans spotted in Canada with pictures and designation guides and uses data collected from bird watchers on ebird to give very data about when these birds can be spotted .
Swans are big birds that are considered graceful and beautiful and are even depicted in children ’ randomness stories as such. They are normally egg white, but there are besides black swans .
male swans are called cobs and female swans are called pens.
Swans hold a special reverence and have done for centuries. They were once the conserve of royalty, and only the kings or queens could keep or hunt them and eat them. however, they are a protect wild species but can now be hunted with a special license, but few ever do .
however, swans can be a nuisance, and the Mute Swan is an incursive species that is aggressive, specially at breeding times and is causing the destruction of habitats and forcing the native Trumpeter Swan to the brink of extinction .
If you enjoy spotting waterbirds in Canada, then you should besides find out more about Ducks in Canada .
This lead will help you identify the types of swans spotted in Canada according to avibase and uses data collected from bird watchers on ebird to give real data about when these birds can be spotted .
4 Species Of Swans In Canada
1. Mute Swan
Mute Swans are non-native species in Canada that can be spotted here all year. They are recorded in up to 2% of summer and winter checklists submitted by bird watchers for the country.
mute Swans are one of the largest and heaviest flying birds. They are non-native and were introduced to grace ornamental lakes and ponds but nowadays have escaped into the rampantly and bred. They cause problems for native wildlife and can be aggressive .
- Cygnus olor
- Length: 56 – 62 in (142 – 157 cm)
- Weight: 416 oz (11789 g)
- Wingspan: 84 – 96 in (213 – 244 cm)
They are entirely white, with long, graceful necks, orange bills with a large, black basal knob, black around the base of the bill, and black branch. Adults look alike, although males are larger than females .
Juveniles don ’ t have the orange-colored bills. alternatively, they have dusky-pinkish bills. They may occasionally have dusky-brownish highlights on their body .
mute Swans are native to Europe. however, there is immediately a breeding population predominantly in northeastern US states and southeast Canada. They are non-native and do not migrate, and have besides spread to other regions .
You can find numerous Mute Swans in city parks, protected bays, and lakes. You may besides find them on shallow wetlands, rivers, and estuaries .
Mute Swans spend most of their time floating on body of water. They forage for submerged vegetation, and this is their staple diet when on water. They may besides forage for food on land, feeding on denounce and agrarian crops .
Mute Swans Call:
Nests of Mute Swans are built by both male and female swans. Since swans are monogamous, they tend to reuse these nests each year, repairing and restoring them as needed. Nests are frequently found on islands in the in-between or edge of a lake .
They use plants and vegetation to create a mound in which the female lays four to eight eggs. Both parents take turns in incubating the eggs for about thirty-five to thirty-eight days .
Fun Fact: Adult swans are highly protective of their young and will aggressively defend them when they sense danger or threats. They will hiss as a admonition and will immediately chase and attack the marauder if the warning is ignored .
2. herald Swan
Trumpeter Swans can be spotted in Canada all year, but more from August to May. They appear in around 2% of summer and winter checklists.
The Trumpeter Swan has the eminence of being the longest and heaviest living boo native to North America. It is besides recognized as the heaviest flying bird in the world .
trumpeter Swans are entirely white except for their blacken bills, legs, and feet. There is a black plot on their face, apparently connecting their eyes to their bills. Their heads and neck may occasionally show some rust tinge because of their liaison with iron elements in wetland soils .
Juvenile Trumpeter Swans are largely dusky-gray, with a tap center on their black bills .
- Cygnus buccinator
- Length: 58 – 72 in (147 – 183 cm)
- Weight: 401.6 oz (11381 g)
- Wingspan: 72 – 102 in (183 – 259 cm)
trumpeter Swans engender in northwestern Canada and Alaska and migrate to the Pacific Northwest. Those that breed around the Great Lakes migrate to cardinal inland US states .
You can find Trumpeter Swans in marshes, lakes, and rivers with dense vegetation. They breed in open areas near shallow waters. They are sometimes seen on agricultural fields, excessively.
In water, Trumpeter Swans normally eat aquatic plants and vegetation, which they can reach with their bills underwater. With their long necks, they are able to reach plants in deep water, even going ampere far as tipping, like a dabbling duck, to get at their food .
With their bombastic and potent bills, they can uproot aquatic plants and feed on them. When they visit agricultural fields, they besides eat spilled or leftover grains and crops .
Trumpeter Swans Call:
Nests of Trumpeter Swans are about constantly surrounded by water or close to it. It is the male that builds the nest by throwing grasses, grass-like plants, and early submerge vegetation over his shoulder, lento building mounds of this material until he reaches the nest site .
They besides nest in beaver or muskrat lodges. The female will then lay four to six eggs that she will incubate for about four weeks until they hatch .
Fun Fact: Trumpeter Swans broadly mate for liveliness. When nesting, there is constantly one pornographic that stays with the nest. They are both territorial and aggressive when it comes to protecting their cuddle area .
3. Tundra Swan
Tundra Swans are usually spotted in Canada during winter but their numbers increase during migration from March to April and October to December. They occur in up to 3% of checklists during migration.
Tundra Swans have wholly white bodies with long necks and black legs and feet. They besides have a yellow patch near their eye, but it may not always be show .
Juvenile Whistling Tundra Swans are pale brown with blank highlights and a by and large pink bill with bootleg topple and base .
- Cygnus columbianus
- Length: 487 – 58 in (119 – 147 cm)
- Weight: 370.37 oz (10496 g)
- Wingspan: 72 – 84 in (183 – 213 cm)
Tundra Swans breed in the Canadian Arctic and coastal Alaska. They migrate to the Pacific Northwest and sites inland. They besides migrate for winter to the Great Lakes and the coastal middle atlantic .
You can find Tundra Swans, as their diagnose suggests, on Arctic tundra. They largely form flocks in wetlands, boggy lakes, ponds, estuaries, and bays. They besides flock together in agrarian fields .
Tundra Swans by and large eat aquatic vegetation, which they forage for by sticking their forefront subaqueous. They besides use their bombastic webbed feet to dig around the bottom. They besides eat grass and grass-like vegetation when on land. Crops, like potatoes and corn, are their diet when they ’ re on agrarian fields, specially after harvest clock time .
Tundra Swans Call:
Nests of Tundra Swans are normally built as mound-shaped nests near open water. They are built from establish materials available in the area. The female lays four to five eggs which she incubates for up to forty days until they hatch .
Fun Fact: The Tundra Swan used to be called “ Whistling Swan ” because of the sound their wings make in flight .
4. Whooper swan
Whooper Swans are considered rare or accidental species in Canada, but some have been occasionally spotted here during winter.
The Whooper Swan ( pronounced hooper roll ) is besides known as the Common Swan. Their bodies are entirely white. They have a bright scandalmongering bill covering about half of the bill and blacken at the tip .
- Cygnus cygnus
- Length: 60 in ( 152 cm)
- Weight: 329.6 oz (9341 g)
- Wingspan: 84 – 96 in (213 – 244 cm)
Whooper Swans are native to Eurasia and breed in cold northern regions and winter further south in wetlands. however, there are vagrants in the United States and Canada .
You can find Whooper Swans living together in flocks near wetlands, on flood fields, lakes, and little ponds. When they graze on state, you will find them on farmlands close to the coast .
Whooper Swans scrounge largely submerged. They submerge their heads and long necks in search of submerged plants. They use their large bills to pull out plants by their roots, eating all of them, including the stem .
Whooper Swans Call :
Nests of Whooper Swans are often located on islands and on lakeshores. They are built like large mounds out of plants, moss, reeds, pot, and lichens. The female lays four to six eggs and incubates them for thirty-five days. The male defends the nest during this time .
Cygnets, or new swans, are able to fly when they are four or five months honest-to-god .
Fun Fact: Whooper Swans need to be near bombastic areas of water when they ’ re growing up because their legs and feet are not able to support their large bodies for long periods of time .
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
