• The Trumpeter Swan is North America's largest waterfowl and one of its rarest native birds.
• Most Trumpeters weigh 21-30 pounds, although large males may exceed 35 pounds. The male is called a cob; the female is called a pen. Their wingspan is over 7 feet and an adult Trumpeter stands about 4 feet high.
• The Trumpeter's call as resonant, deep and loud, sonorous, and trumpet-like. Hence the bird's name: Trumpeter Swan.
• Trumpeter Swans mate for life and may live for 20 to 30 years.
• Before European settlement, as many as 150,000 trumpeter swans lived in the Eastern United States. Unfortunately, by the end of the 19th century, their numbers had dwindled due to pioneer settlers who hunted and hat-makers who wanted their feathers.
• According to the Trumpeter Swan Society, “in recent decades, Trumpeters have begun a wonderful comeback and now have the potential to reoccupy much of their former range. However, in many areas these swans face new problems such as lead poisoning, habitat loss, power line collisions, and the loss of their traditional migration patterns to southern wintering areas. They still remain absent from large portions of their historic range.”