Native North American swans – returning from the brink

Apr 22, 2010

By Steve Blight

Adult Trumpeter Swan

For many people, the mere mention of swans evokes pleasant images of large, white, noble birds swimming gracefully on peaceful ponds. This impression is supported by the frequent appearance of swans in popular culture – the children’s fairy tale about the ugly duckling developing into the beautiful swan, or the classic Russian ballet, Swan Lake.

In real life swans are indeed graceful – both in the air and on the water. Swans are the largest members of the duck family, and are among the largest flying birds. The largest swans can reach lengths of over 1.5m (60 inches) and weigh over 15kg (33 pounds). Their wingspans can be almost 3m (10 ft). Compared to the closely related geese, they are much larger in size and have proportionally larger feet and longer necks. The sexes are alike in plumage but males are generally bigger and heavier than females.

There are seven species of swans in the world, with two species native to Canada – the Tundra Swan and the Trumpeter Swan. A third species reproduces in the wild in Canada – the Mute Swan. This bird is native to Europe and Asia, but now breeds in marshes in many parts of eastern North America, including those found along the shores of Lake Ontario. Mute Swans are not considered to be a positive feature of many natural areas, and in some cases wildlife officials are actively trying to control their numbers. Adults of all three species have all-white plumage.

Tundra Swans are the most plentiful swans in North America. They are the smaller of the two native swans and normally have a small yellow patch on their large black bills. During the height of the fur trade era, Tundra Swans were completely eliminated from Ontario when they were heavily hunted for food and feathers. Now these birds are much more common, nesting in the Arctic and along the western and southern shores of Hudson Bay, including the Ontario portion of the Hudson Bay coast. They are widespread throughout southern Ontario during migration in both spring and fall. In recent years, they have become more numerous in spring around Lake Ontario. Eastern Tundra Swans winter mainly along the Atlantic coast from Massachusetts south to Virginia.

The other native swan is the Trumpeter Swan, the largest waterfowl in North America. It is larger than the Tundra Swan and generally has no yellow on its large black bill. The Trumpeter Swan builds its nest in marshes or floodplains of creeks, using old muskrat or beaver lodges, islands or stumps in drowned forest as a base.

The ongoing comeback of the Trumpeter Swan is a very interesting conservation story. Greatly reduced by hunting in the 19th century, the North American population had increased to about 35,000 birds by 2005 primarily due to the implementation of effective controls on hunting. Most of these birds breed and winter in western North America.

Active restoration of Trumpeter Swans in Ontario began in 1982. By 2005, 584 captive-reared birds had been released at 54 sites across southern and eastern Ontario. There is now an important population of these birds breeding in southern Ontario, including a record of breeding on Big Rideau Lake in 1997. Some estimates put the current number of Ontario birds at over 1000 individuals. Ontario Trumpeter Swans winter either in their breeding areas or migrate a short distance to the Great Lakes. A couple of years ago, I was walking along the shore of Lake Ontario east of Oshawa at Christmas and I saw a group of about 20 Trumpeter Swans swimming together about 100 meters offshore.

While not yet a common sight, small numbers of these spectacular waterfowl can now occasionally be spotted in the Land O’ Lakes area during summer. Who knows – perhaps in a few years, many of our ponds and lakes will sport a pair or two of Trumpeter Swans, and another generation of writers and musicians will be inspired by these graceful white birds.

Please feel free to report any observations to Lorraine Julien at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or Steve Blight at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.