Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

Watch Reply
More
Mark unread Print Skip to new
EROCTUSE2 Belleville, MI(Zone 5b) Mar 21, 2009

Thumbnail by EROCTUSE2
Post #6298000
Quote
Resin Northumberland, United Kingdom(Zone 9a) Mar 21, 2009

Very unusual individual with that yellow on the bill. Was it a captive specimen at a zoo? If yes, I suspect it is probably a hybrid with Whooper Swan http://davesgarden.com/guides/birdfiles/go/873/ (which has even more yellow on the bill).

Resin

Post #6298336
Quote
EROCTUSE2 Belleville, MI(Zone 5b) Mar 21, 2009

Thank-you for pointing that out Resin, I think it is a whooper swan or at least a hybrid. It was at the W. K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary; where some of the birds are captive but most come and go as they please. So, it's hard for me to know whether it was captive or not.

How do I go about removing this image so I can keep BF accurate, because I only just joined in on that guide last night?

Thanks again for pointing it out.

Post #6299737
Quote
EROCTUSE2 Belleville, MI(Zone 5b) Mar 21, 2009

Upon further investigation, do you think it could be a tundra swan? That's another swan they have at the sanctuary and the photos I find show it with varying degrees of yellow on the bills. Or maybe a young whooper? Do their bill colors develop with age?

Post #6299844
Quote
Resin Northumberland, United Kingdom(Zone 9a) Mar 21, 2009

Thanks!

Too large and long-billed for a Tundra Swan, they have a more goose-shaped head with a slightly shorter bill. I'd say it is a Whooper × Trumpeter Swan hybrid, this hybrid is known in captivity (it can't happen in the wild as the two are on different continents!).

The bill colours don't change with age, other than when the yellow first develops in young birds about a year old; once they get the yellow, the pattern of it remains the same for life (it can even be used to recognise individuals)

Probably a good idea to leave the photo in, as an educational thread - anyone sufficiently interested to notice the difference in the bill pattern will click on the photo and read this discussion.

Resin

Post #6300049
Quote

Post a Reply to this Thread

Please or sign up to post.
Back to Forum Homepage

More BirdFiles Pictures Threads

Go to all BirdFiles Pictures threads
BACK TO TOP