The Beautiful Trumpeter Swan

The Trumpeter Swan is one of the most beautiful birds to see when you are out birding.  These beauties weigh more than twenty-five pounds (males thirty-five), and when stretched out, they measure six feet in length, and have a wingspan up to eight feet making them the largest waterfowl bird in North America. Many people get them confused with the Tunda Swan. The Tundra Swan is half their size and adults have a yellow patch in front of each eye.

Trumpeter Swan  (family of six).  Adults pair up around 

three or four years old, and usually stay together for life.

The Juvenile Trumpeter Swans are darker in color with more of a light brownish/grayish tone and a black bill with pink running up the center (see the two in front).

In this photo, the pink running from the base of the bill to the 

center is shown much better on this juvenile in the foreground.

One more look at the beak on this juvenile.

The adult Trumpeter's beak is completely black on top.

Since the Trumpeter Swan is a very large and one of the heaviest birds in the world, it needs about a hundred yards of water to start it's take off out of the water to begin flying!  

The photographs of these pretty Trumpeter Swans were taken near Astoria Oregon, at Fort Stevens State Park in March along the scenic two-mile loop Coffenbury Lake Trail, which I highly recommend!

Happy Birding!