Arizona has been home to three of the four swan species found across North America. Tundra Swan, Mute Swan, and Trumpeter Swan are the three species.
Using data collected from birdwatchers on ebird, this guide will help you identify the different kinds of swans seen in Arizona.
Swans are huge birds that are frequently seen as graceful and lovely in children’s tales, and they are even portrayed as such. White swans are the most common, but black swans do exist.
Cobs and pens are the names for male and female swans, respectively.
Swans have been revered for millennia by swan lovers. They were formerly reserved for kings and queens, who could preserve or hunt them and consume them. They are, however, a protected wild species that can only be hunted with a special permit, and just a few people do so.
The Mute Swan, on the other hand, is an invasive species that is aggressive, especially during breeding seasons and is driving the native Trumpeter Swan to the verge of extinction.
You should learn more about Ducks in Arizona if you like seeing waterbirds in the state.
3 Species Of Swans In Arizona
1. Tundra Swan
Throughout the winter, Tundra Swans may be seen in Arizona, between November and March.
Whistling Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) from North America and Bewick’s Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus bewickii) from Eurasia are two subspecies of swans that belong to the genus Cygnus.
- Cygnus columbianus
- Length: 487 – 58 in (119 – 147 cm)
- Weight: 370.37 oz (10496 g)
- Wingspan: 72 – 84 in (183 – 213 cm)
The yellow patches at the base of tundra swans’ bills distinguish them from other swans. The Whistling Tundra Swan has a more prominent yellow patch than Bewick’s Tundra Swans. On the Whistling Tundra Swan, there is sometimes no yellow patch. Nonetheless, their bodies are completely white, with a long neck and black legs and foot.
The bill of juvenile Whistling Tundra Swans is pink with a black tip and base, and they are pale brown with white highlights.
In Canada’s Arctic and coastal Alaska, Tundra Swans breed. They move inland and to the Pacific Northwest. Winter migration to the Great Lakes and coastal mid-Atlantic is also common.
Tundra Swans can be found on the tundra of the Arctic. In wetlands, marshy lakes, ponds, estuaries, and bays, they generally flock in flocks. In agricultural areas, they also congregate.
Tundra Swans feed mostly on aquatic plants, which they discover by diving their head below the surface. They also dig around the bottom with their huge webbed feet. On land, they can also eat grass and grass-like vegetation. While they’re on agricultural fields, particularly after harvest, crops, such as potatoes and corn, are their diet.
Tundra Swan nests are usually created in open water, forming mounds. They’re made out of whatever plants are available nearby. The female lays four to five eggs and incubates them for up to forty days before they hatch.
Fun Fact: Because of the sound made by their wings in flight, the Tundra Swan was once known as “Whistling Swan.”
2. Mute Swan
One of the world’s biggest and most powerful flying birds is the Mute Swan. They were initially brought to decorate beautiful lakes and ponds, but have since escaped into the wild and reproduced. They may be aggressive and cause difficulties for native wildlife.
- Cygnus olor
- Length: 56 – 62 in (142 – 157 cm)
- Weight: 416 oz (11789 g)
- Wingspan: 84 – 96 in (213 – 244 cm)
Their bills are orange and have a large, black basal knob, and their legs are black. They are completely white with long, graceful necks. Although males are larger than females, adults look similar.
The orange-colored bills of juveniles aren’t visible. Instead, their bills are a dark pink color. Their body may feature dark-brownish highlights from time to time.
The color morphs of mute swans (known as cygnets) differ in their youth. From birth, the “Royal” chicks have gray down feathers that turn gray-brown and white as they age. When the eggs hatch, they are all white and remain that way throughout their lives. Their financial documents are light pink in color. They have pinkish-gray legs rather than black, as well.
The majority of Mute Swans live on water. While on the water, they forage for underwater plants, which is their primary food. In addition, they can hunt for food on land, eating grass and agricultural crops.
Both male and female swans build nests for Mute Swans. Swans reuse their nests each year, repairing and restoring them as needed, because they are monogamous. On islands in the middle or near the margins of a lake, nests are frequently found.
The female lays four to eight eggs in a mound built with plants and vegetation. Over thirty-five to thirty-eight days, both parents alternate in incubating the eggs.
Fun Fact: When adult swans perceive danger or threats, they are incredibly protective of their young and will aggressively defend them. If the warning is not heeded, they’ll hiss as a deterrent and pursue and assault the predator right away.
3. Trumpeter Swan
In Arizona, trumpeter swans are considered uncommon or accidental, however they were seen in the Navajo area in 2022.
The trumpeter Swan, a native of North America, holds the distinction of being the longest and heaviest living species. It’s also regarded as the world’s heaviest flying bird.
- Cygnus buccinator
- Length: 58 – 72 in (147 – 183 cm)
- Weight: 401.6 oz (11381 g)
- Wingspan: 72 – 102 in (183 – 259 cm)
Except for their black bills, legs, and feet, trumpeter swans are completely white. Their face has a black patch over their eyes, as though their bills are connected. Because of their contact with iron components in wetland soils, their heads and necks may occasionally exhibit rust-brown coloration.
The black bills of juvenile Trumpeter Swans have a pink center. They are mostly dusky-gray.
Swans migrate to the Pacific Northwest after breeding in northern Canada and Alaska. Those that breed in the Great Lakes’ central inland states migrate.
Swans are most commonly seen in marshes, lakes, and rivers with thick vegetation. These birds breed near shallow water in open areas. Agrarian areas are also one place where they can be found.
Trumpeter Swans feed underwater on aquatic plants and vegetation, which they may access with their bills. They can reach plants in deeper water with their long necks, like a dabbling duck, and even tip to get at their food.
They can uproot aquatic vegetation and eat it because to their broad and muscular bills. They also consume spilled or surplus grains and crops while touring agricultural fields.
Trumpeter Swan nests are nearly always surrounded by water. Males construct the nest by tossing grasses, grass-like plants, and other submerged flora over their shoulder in layers, gradually producing mounds of this stuff until they reach the nesting spot.
Beaver or muskrat lodges are also used to nest in. After that, the female will deposit four to six eggs and sit on them for around four weeks until they hatch.
Fun Fact: Swans mate for life in the trumpeter species. One adult stays with the nest when nesting, whether it’s a male or female. When it comes to protecting their nesting territory, they are both territorial and aggressive.