A large white bird out on the water is most likely a swan. Here in Illinois, we see three different swan species: mute swans, tundra swans and trumpeter swans. The trumpeter swans are the largest of these of the three, and they are an impressive bird by any measure.
Trumpeter swans in Illinois include a population that breeds here and migrates south for winter as well as swans that spend the winter here. Look for them in and around our waterways, where you may see them mixed in with flocks including other swans and waterfowl species.Â
Here are five fun facts about these big, white birds.
They're big birdsÂ
Trumpeter swans are the largest waterfowl in the world! So how big are these birds exactly? They are about twice as large as tundra swans, another of our local swan species. Trumpeter swans can tip the scales at more than 25 pounds, with the largest males weighing as much as 35 pounds. They can have a wingspan of more than 6 feet!
How does that compare to other birds? Let's use the common and familiar Canada goose as an example. These geese typically weigh between 6 pounds and 19 pounds, and they are usually between 2 1/2 feet and 3 1/2 feet long with a wingspan between 4 feet and 5 1/2 feet. Now consider the California condor, which is the largest bird in North America. These condors are bigger than trumpeter swans, but not by much. They can weigh almost 30 pounds, and their wingspan stretches an impressive 9 feet!
They sound kind of like a trumpetÂ
This probably won't come as much of a surprise, but the trumpeter swan got its common name because its honking call sounds kind of like a trumpet or a French horn. Their trumpeting call sounds kind of like someone learning to play the trumpet for the first time rather than a seasoned classical or jazz musician.Â
Words to know
Clutch:Â A brood of chicks.
Incubate:Â To sit on eggs to keep them warm and bring them to hatching.
Susceptible:Â Likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing.
Vulnerable:Â At risk of physical or emotional harm or attack.
Both the male and female swans sing out with the trumpeting call. When a group of these swans is honking together it can sound like a band warming up for a performance. The birds use their call to defend their territory, call out to their mate or family group or even to sound an alarm for nearby swans. While their calls can be quite loud, they are able to honk more quietly when they do so with their mouths closed.
The loud honk isn't the only way trumpeter swans get the attention of swans and other birds around them. When predators and intruders get too close, they can slap their webbed feet on the water to alert other swans. They also create noise when taking off as both their feet and wings hit the water's surface.
They need long runways for taking off
If you wanted to compare our local waterfowl to airplanes, trumpeter swans would be like jumbo jets because they need long "runways" for taking off. Because of their large size, they have to have about 100 feet of clear water or land ahead of them to get airborne.
The swans can take off from both land and water. They prepare for flight by dropping their heads toward their chests, creating a C shape with their necks. To take off, trumpeter swans flap their wings as they run across the water's surface or land, gaining speed as they go.
Young swans, called cygnets, learn to fly when they are about 3 months or 4 months old, usually in late summer or early fall. They are awkward and clumsy in their early days of flight, so the young swans will stay with their parents for the first winter after they are born. They go off on their own the following spring, about a year after they hatch.
They incubate their eggs with their feet
When we think of birds incubating their eggs, we picture them sitting on their nest to keep their eggs warm. Trumpeter swans sit on their eggs just like other birds, but it's their feet that they use to keep the eggs warm. The females spend more time on the nest, but both the males and females take turns incubating the eggs. Swan pairs usually mate for life.
These swans lay one clutch of eggs a year. The male and female collect plant material to build their nests near the shoreline. The female then creates a bowl-shaped indentation where the eggs are laid. The clutch will typically have between three and eight eggs. The female will lay an egg every other day, but she does not start incubating the nest until all the eggs are laid so they will all hatch in a 24-hour period. The eggs hatch about 34 days after incubation begins.
Their population is increasing after being nearly decimated
The population of trumpeter swans is on the rise, and that's great news considering these birds were once nearly extinct. In 1935, only 69 trumpeter swans were known to exist in the world. Centuries ago, these birds were common across much of the northern United States and Canada, but they were absent from much of their natural range for decades after populations plummeted due to overhunting and habitat loss.
From the 1600s to the 1800s, trumpeter swans were commonly hunted for their meat and skin as well as their feathers, which were popular in hats and clothing. Hunting of the birds was eventually outlawed, but by the late 1800s, only small populations of the birds remained at a few locations in Alaska and Canada.
Those surviving birds were able to be used for breeding and reintroduction programs, and today they are considered a conservation success story. A population survey conducted between 2000 and 2005 found that their population increased from 11,156 to 34,803.
Although they are no longer endangered, trumpeter swans are still vulnerable to habitat loss and lead poisoning. Power lines also pose risks to trumpeter swans, a problem unique to the species. Because of their large size, they fly lower than geese and ducks. As a result, they are susceptible to injury and death from flying into power lines. Young swans can also fall victim to power lines when they are learning to fly.
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