Trumpeter swans look similar to tundra swans, but are bigger. Unless you see the two side by side, it is difficult to tell for sure which kind you are looking at. Tundra swans usually have yellow lores (the point where their black beaks meet their eyes) and trumpeters usually do not.
These birds were hunted for game and for their feathers - nearly to extinction. Conservation efforts have brought them back from the brink. They are the largest native waterfowl in North America. They can weigh from thirty to thirty-five pounds and can have an eight-foot wingspan.
Their scientific name, Cygnus buccinator, comes from the Latin and Greek "cygus" for swan, and from buccinator, a face muscle that is used when whistling. They are commonly called trumpeter swans because their call can sound like a brass instrument at times.
These birds were hunted for game and for their feathers - nearly to extinction. Conservation efforts have brought them back from the brink. They are the largest native waterfowl in North America. They can weigh from thirty to thirty-five pounds and can have an eight-foot wingspan.
Their scientific name, Cygnus buccinator, comes from the Latin and Greek "cygus" for swan, and from buccinator, a face muscle that is used when whistling. They are commonly called trumpeter swans because their call can sound like a brass instrument at times.
Just last week I began forming a wish list of birds I would like to see and photograph. Big swans were on that list and voila - here they were. Sweet!
Because you said you're making a list of birds you want to see, it made me think of a movie I just recently watched ..."The Big Year". I had no idea bird watching, finding, sighting was so big.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of The Big Year. Yes, the more I get into it, the more I see the birding world is huge and filled with all sorts of people and adventures. I've thought of focusing our next vacation in an area where I could spot and photograph some new birds!
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