OUR WORK
Join our efforts to help conserve trumpeter swans and swan habitat in Waterton Biosphere Region (WBR) by maintaining or restoring healthy ponds and lakes.
Photo by Kim Pearson
Trumpeter swans represent a species-at-risk success story at the continental scale with populations rebounding from a historic low of 130 breeding adults (due to overhunting and habitat loss) to over 63,000 birds. Waterton Biosphere Reserve is the summer home of a breeding subpopulation of trumpeter swans, separate from others near Grande Prairie and points north in Alberta or from birds further south in Montana. Yet, our unique breeding subpopulation of migratory trumpeter swans is not increasing in the same way. The number of occupied water bodies and number of successful broods produced has not increased for the past two decades.
Trumpeter swans migrating through the area in spring and fall may also be using wetlands for short periods of time for feeding, resting, and building energy reserves. These important stopover habitats are largely undocumented in Waterton Biosphere Region.
Both trumpeter and tundra swans are large, white birds with unusually long and graceful necks. Rusty-orange staining on the feathers of the head and upper neck may occur when swans feed in lakes with sediments that are high in iron. The most reliable differences are found in their vocalizations and the appearance of their bills.
Trumpeter swan vocalizations are deep, resonant, bugle-like calls that are more nasal-sounding than tundra swans. Tundra swan vocalizations, on the other hand, are softer, higher pitched, and mellow woo-oo-woo calls.
To listen to and differentiate between a trumpeter and tundra swan call click here.
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Adult trumpeter swans have black bills, though the pinkish red inside their mouth can sometimes be seen as a red line between the bills, seemingly giving them a “grin”. Tundra swans, on the other hand, have a black bill with yellowish pigmentation in front of the eye. The spot can be small and occasionally absent, but if you see yellow, you are likely looking at a tundra swan. Trumpeter swans have a more angular head and beak with the slope of their crown matching the slope of the bill, while tundra swans have a more concave bill profile. When looking at the junction of the beak and head between the eyes, tundra swans have a U-shape and trumpeter swans typically have a V-shape.
Not all big white birds are created equal! Southern Alberta is home to, or along the migratory route, of other larger-bodied white birds that might be mistaken for trumpeter swans at a distance or quick glance. Of course, trumpeter and tundra swans are the easiest to confuse, and although tundra swans are the smaller of the two species, size can be hard to discern when the two species aren’t right next to one another.
Bill shapes of Tundra (left) and Trumpeter (right) Swans; copyright David Sibley.
To read more about distinguishing trumpeter and tundra swans go to: https://www.sibleyguides.com/2006/02/distinguishing-trumpeter-and-tundra-swans/
Snow geese are about half the size of swans, with pink bills and black wing tips visible when in flight. Swan bodies are entirely white in flight and adult trumpeter swans have a black bill. American white pelicans also have black wing tips visible in flight, but they will fly with their neck tucked back rather than outstretched. And the long yellow beak on pelicans is distinctive whether in flight or on water.
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Trumpeter swans that move into and through the Waterton Biosphere Region in the spring, summer, and fall are part of the Rocky Mountain population. Most trumpeter swans breeding in Alberta migrate north from the United States in spring and return south in fall.
Some of the trumpeter swans arriving in spring in the Waterton Biosphere Region will stick around to breed through the spring and summer. Some will stop briefly en route to their breeding waterbodies further north in northern Alberta, northern British Columbia, and Yukon. Trumpeter swans typically return to the same area where they were hatched to raise their own young.
Image credit: Map is from the 2015 North American Trumpeter Swan Survey report
Loss or formation of ice cover on waterbodies drives trumpeter swan migration in both spring and fall, with staging flocks using wetlands, rivers, and lakes (also known as stopover sites) before moving onward. As swans sometimes reach breeding areas in Alberta during spring freeze/thaw cycles, the birds must arrive with sufficient energy reserves to carry them through to nesting, and begin nesting as soon as possible after arrival. Maintaining healthy and undisturbed stopover habitat is an important way Waterton Biosphere Region residents can support trumpeter swans.
Trumpeter swans migrating through the Waterton Biosphere Region in fall are heading south, where overwintering birds concentrate at ice-free sites including freshwater streams, rivers, springs, and reservoirs.
Photo by Asher Warkentin
Many Alberta swans overwinter in the Tri-State area, where Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming meet, due to the geothermal activity and weather patterns that keep numerous waterbodies open year-round. Nearby croplands and pasture are used for foraging. Some swans tough it out through the southwestern Alberta winter – they are often seen in Waterton Lakes National Park through the coldest months of the year – but most Alberta swans are true snowbirds that migrate south.
Trumpeter swan pairs stay together throughout the year and often migrate and winter in family groups and with other waterfowl, including tundra swans and Canada geese.
DIET
Voracious vegetarians – that’s one way to describe the trumpeter swan’s food habits. Although they will occasionally eat small fish and fish eggs, swans consume large quantities of plants, particularly emergent plants that are rooted in the sediment with their stems, flowers, and leaves rising above the water. Adults will forage on shoots, roots, and tubers of these aquatic plants at depths of up to 1 m. A high abundance of aquatic insects is also important at breeding ponds, given that young swans (known as cygnets) forage on insects for the first few weeks of life.
Swans will feed like dabbling ducks, tipping their bottoms up into the air as they reach beneath the water surface. They root with their beaks at the bottom of the pond or lake to twist and pull up vegetation. They will also sometimes free roots for themselves or their young by paddling their large feet in or above the mud.
STAGING HABITAT
As they prepare (or “stage”) for migration, trumpeter swan individuals, pairs, and families gather in larger groups on open water to feed before heading south when ice begins forming. A few swans may linger into November or occasionally longer.
Migrating trumpeter swans from the Rocky Mountain population are thought to travel along a relatively narrow flyway that follows the eastern front of the Rocky Mountains, with migration stopover sites providing critical habitat to increase reserves for onward migration. Suitable stopover wetlands may be more limited in availability than breeding habitat, and maintenance of habitat quality and quantity at this restricted network of sites is important. But we also know relatively little about the location of such sites in the Waterton Biosphere Region.
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Trumpeter swans prefer to nest in shallow wetlands with irregular shorelines and plentiful vegetation (including both submerged vegetation and emergent vegetation, which is rooted in the bottom of the waterbody but growing to extend above the water). In the Waterton Biosphere Region, this includes lakes and ponds as well as wetlands adjacent to rivers. The size of waterbodies selected by swans varies, but because they are such a heavy-bodied bird, they require an unobstructed distance of approximately 100 m (328 ft) for takeoff. Breeding pairs are sensitive to disturbance so they are most often found on waterbodies with low levels of human activity.
Nests are found in areas with good visibility within or adjacent to the waterbody, and are often on slightly elevated features, such as sites offered by muskrat houses, beaver dams, small islands, or peninsulas. Stable water levels are important to prevent nests from getting flooded. Pairs can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to over a month to construct a nest, but the same pair may reuse a nest site year after year.
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BREEDING
Trumpeter swans form pairs at 3-4 years of age with their first mating at 4-7 years. The courtship ritual sees both individuals taking turns bobbing their heads while vocalizing back and forth as well as extending their impressive wings. Once paired, the mates are monogamous and generally stay together for life, which probably helps them learn together from each successive nesting and parenting effort.
Both adults gather material for the nest while females place the material and incubate the eggs. The pair usually lays 4 to 6 eggs in the 3 m diameter nest. Hatching occurs in late May or early June after a 32-37 day incubation. Unfortunately, trumpeter swans will not re-nest in a given year if their nest fails – annual breeding is a one-shot deal.
CYGNETS
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Like most waterfowl, trumpeter swan cygnets are ready to leave the nest within a few hours of hatching. By 9–10 weeks of age, cygnets are fully feathered though their first flight is still about a month away. Young trumpeter swans are light grey and get their mature white plumage as they age. Whereas tundra swan cygnets will turn white by the end of their first winter, trumpeter swan cygnets will not molt their grey feathers until the summer of their second year.
If you see swans and cygnets on any ponds or lakes in Waterton Biosphere Region from early August to late September, be sure to let us know by dropping an email to swans@watertonbiosphere.com or calling 403-563-0058.
LIFESPAN
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Trumpeter Swans have survived in captivity for up to 35 years, but in the wild, most breeding swans probably live no longer than 20 years. The key to swan survival is to make it through the first year of life: young cygnets experience survival rates of 40-80% while adult swans typically have annual survival rates ranging from 80-100%.
Natural causes of mortality include disease and parasites, exposure or starvation during severe winter conditions, and predation (particularly of eggs and chicks by coyotes, foxes, raccoons, owls, and golden eagles). You can read more about human-caused threats to trumpeter swans in the Waterton Biosphere Region in the Threats section below.
HABITAT LOSS
This can result from agricultural or industrial activities, wetland drainage, water diversion, and loss of aquatic shoreline vegetation (i.e., vegetation with stems, flowers, and leaves rising above the water).
COLLISIONS
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Swans tend to fly lower than other waterfowl species and are less nimble in flight (more like a passenger airplane than a fighter jet). Mortalities can occur from collisions with powerlines near waterbodies used by swans. Similarly, fence lines through or adjacent to waterbodies can create a potential collision risk for swans.
Swans tend to fly lower than other waterfowl species and are less nimble in flight (more like a passenger airplane than a fighter jet). Mortalities can occur from collisions with powerlines near waterbodies used by swans. Similarly, fence lines through or adjacent to waterbodies can create a potential collision risk for swans.
HUMAN DISTURBANCE AT BREEDING SITES
Breeding trumpeter swans are very sensitive to human disturbance than can arise from foot traffic, loud vehicle traffic, boating and off-highway vehicle use, urban expansion, and industrial development.
Trumpeter swans like their privacy during the summer. Spring and summer closures at wetlands in provincial parks found in Waterton Biosphere Reserve help minimize disturbance to nesting trumpeter swans. They may be disturbed by humans moving on foot within 700 m of their nest site; somebody walking half a mile away can cause them to leave their nest!
Disturbances can result in extended absences from the nest, nest failure from eggs cooling or predators eating the eggs, or cygnet loss through disrupted feeding.
WATER LEVEL FLUCTUATIONS
Changes in water levels on ponds or lakes as a result of high water events can swamp nests and result in loss of eggs.
LEAD POISONING
Despite some bans on lead ammunition and fishing tackle, residual pellets and weights collect at the bottoms of many waterbodies and are a legacy problem for waterfowl. Trumpeter swans, with their long neck and ability to forage in the pond sediments, are particularly susceptible to lead poisoning – only 3 pellets can kill an adult swan.
WHAT THE WBRA IS DOING TO HELP
In 2015, the WBRA’s Species at Risk Plan identified a need to increase public and landowner awareness of threats to trumpeter swans as well as identified data gaps with respect to wetlands used by non-breeding swans or by migrating swans moving through the WBR. The last 5-yr North American Trumpeter Swan Survey was completed in 2015 and no subsequent surveys are planned given the continental population expansion. But locally, the number of cygnets produced and number of wetlands occupied has not changed in the last two decades. In response to these various factors the WBRA initiated a project to aid in the conservation of trumpeter swans in southwestern Alberta.
The WBRA’s Stewarding Trumpeter Swans Through the Seasons project began in March 2021. In addition to an education and outreach campaign to increase awareness of the species and its habitat, this project engaged citizen scientist volunteers to identify important trumpeter swan wetlands within the WBR and worked with interested landowners to address potential impacts and appropriate stewardship practices. Healthy wetlands that can support trumpeter swans also support a great diversity of other wildlife and plant species.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP TRUMPETER SWANS
Maintaining healthy breeding and migration stopover habitats across the landscape is an important way Waterton Biosphere Region residents can support trumpeter swans and other waterfowl. Although the practices described below may require financial inputs from landowners, they typically also result in positive outcomes for the operation (e.g., increased cattle weight gains and herd health through provision of clean water, higher water table and water permanency in drought conditions, increased forage production for short rotations through riparian areas).
Beneficial Management Practices at migration stopover and breeding habitats:
- Avoid draining wetlands or digging them deeper into dugouts, even during dry years, and restore previously drained wetlands by installing ditch plugs. Natural wetlands will help buffer the water table in the surrounding area against fluctuations in precipitation and surface water flow, and the extra acres gained by draining often are less productive.
- Maintain or promote shoreline vegetation and water quality by leaving a 30 m buffer of native vegetation.
- Use temporary electric or permanent wire fencing to control timing of livestock grazing (avoid spring when soils are saturated and late summer/fall when woody vegetation is palatable) and utilization rate around waterbodies (25-50% utilization rate for riparian areas)
- Provide alternate watering sites by installing off-site watering systems.
- Use hardened or restricted access points to constrain impacts if choosing to water directly from a wetland.
- Reduce time cattle spend adjacent to wetlands by strategically placing salt/mineral at least 500 m away.
- Avoid using pesticides or chemical fertilizers near wetlands as these may run into the waterbody and unintentionally impact wetland plants and invertebrates.
Additional Beneficial Management Practices for breeding wetlands or those with the potential to support breeding pairs in the future:
- Avoid or minimize recreational activities both on the water and within an 800 m buffer of surrounding habitat during the May to October breeding season as swans are highly sensitive when breeding.
- Avoid developing residences and roads within 500 m.
If you are interested in pursuing a cost-shared project to maintain or improve wetland habitat, please reach out to us at swans@watertonbiosphere.com. We can assist you with access to technical experts and funding opportunities. Examples of stewardship projects include off-stream watering, development of hardened access sites, fencing to support rotational grazing in riparian pastures, controlling run-off from winter pastures, and more.
MIGRATION SEASON RESULTS
Swan migration monitoring took place in March/April and then again from late September to late November between 2021 and 2023. Landowners and the general public reported swan use on waterbodies, while trained volunteers conducted roadside surveys in assigned areas to collect information on swan presence, the numbers and age classes (i.e., adults vs cygnets), as well as habitat information. In total, the volunteers spent almost 900 hours and covered over 28,500 km to help identify which waterbodies were used by trumpeter swans migrating through the WBR area. On average, at least 92 unique waterbodies were used by migrating trumpeters each year (though we expect other waterbodies not visible from roads were also used).
The map shows the distribution of sightings across the region during the spring and fall. This data is helping the WBRA determine characteristics of important stopover sites in the area and how best to support landowners in stewarding swan habitat at these sites.
Trumpeter Swan Migration Season Sightings 2021 to 2023
BREEDING SEASON RESULTS
Local landowners also contributed information on swan pairs that were breeding/attempting to breed or information on younger pairs that were loafing on WBR waterbodies in the summer. The WBRA Conservation Biologist conducted post-breeding surveys in late August to count breeding pairs and cygnets prior to their first flights (or connected with landowners to assess success based on their observations). Nests were successfully established on at least 6 ponds or lakes each year and provided a safe first home to an average of 23 new cygnets. Trumpeter swan use of 25-35 unique waterbodies was reported each summer, with at least 50 breeding adults, non-breeding adults, and cygnets present in WBR during the breeding season. These numbers are considerably higher than the last North American Trumpeter Swan Survey in 2015, leading to optimism that the breeding population may be expanding (though we recognize survey methodologies were different). Breeding season observations are shown on the map to the right.
Trumpeter Swan Breeding Season Sightings 2021 to 2023
OUTREACH
Hope is the Thing with Feathers is an interactive multimedia site created to celebrate the role local trumpeter swan supporters have played in the species recovery over the past half century. Explore maps, videos, and audio clips that highlight stories from Waterton Biosphere Region.
Public workshops held in 2021 and 2022 saw participants learn about trumpeter swan biology, habitat, and recovery efforts from Mark Heckbert, the Alberta trumpeter swan recovery team lead (Alberta Environment and Parks), and Dale Becker, a retired biologist who worked extensively on trumpeter swan reintroductions with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana. WBRA’s Elizabeth Anderson also guided participants to healthy wetland sites used by breeding and migrating swans, including one with a recently active nest.
Participants enjoying guest speakers and observing swan nest site at workshops. Credits: Crystal Hiebert, Mackenzie Brown
We want to recognize the efforts of the landowners, volunteers, and members of the public who connected with our project – their contributions provided eyes and ears on the ground and helped with widespread reporting across WBR.
The goal of this WBRA work is increased awareness of the importance of healthy wetlands for species of concern such as trumpeter swans and assistance for landowners who wish to improve their stewardship of these valuable wetland areas for wildlife habitat and water retention alike. For more information on our work or habitat stewardship for swans, please contact us at swans@watertonbiosphere.com.
ALBERTA NAWMP PARTNERSHIP 2020 – 2021 PROGRESS REVIEW
Alberta NAWMP Partnership 2020 – 2021 Progress Review: April 2020 – March 2021 features the Waterton Biosphere Region’s Stewarding Trumpeter Swans Through the Seasons project and an interview with the project’s lead conservation biologist, Elizabeth Anderson. You can read the feature article here or access it by clicking the image. To read Alberta NAWMP’s full Progress Review, click here.
SHOOTIN’ THE BREEZE
Article by Community Reporter Jenaya Launstein of Pincher Creek’s Shootin’ the Breeze features the Waterton Biosphere Region’s Stewarding Trumpeter Swans Through the Seasons Talk & Walk workshop held on August 24, 2021.
You can read the Shootin’ the Breeze News article here.
For more information on trumpeter swans you can visit the Trumpeter Swan Society’s webpage here. Their site is an excellent resource for swan identification, information on swan behaviour, resources for teachers, and much more. Check out their new Swan Activity Book designed for young children to learn about trumpeter swans and their wetland home!
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
The cautionary tale of the trumpeter swan’s brush with extinction is a demonstration that species at risk declines can be arrested and reversed. We would like to celebrate the role local trumpeter swan supporters have played in the species recovery over the past half century with this interactive multimedia project.
Explore maps, videos, and audio clips that highlight stories from Waterton Biosphere Region.
For more stories from Waterton Biosphere Region, visit our Digital Stories page here.
We want to acknowledge and send out a huge thank you to the supporters of our Stewarding Trumpeter Swans Through the Seasons project, Shell Canada-Foothills Legacy Fund, Wildlife Habitat Canada, Alberta North American Waterfowl Management Plan Partnership, Environment and Climate Change Canada – Canada and the Land Stewardship Centre.
