Bird Guide

Black-necked Swan vs Trumpeter Swan

Black-necked Swan (Cygnus melancoryphus)

Black-necked Swan

Cygnus melancoryphus

Huge4.7 kgWetland

The black-necked swan is the only member of its genus that breeds in the neotropics and is the largest waterfowl native to South America. Adults are 102 to 124 cm (40 to 49 in) long with a wingspan of 135 to 177 cm (53 to 70 in). Males weigh 4.6 to 8.7 kg (10 to 19 lb) and females 3.5 to 4.4 kg (7.7 to 9.7 lb). The sexes are alike. Adults' body plumage is white and the neck and head black; the latter usually has a white stripe behind the eye. They have a prominent red knob at the base of their bill. Juveniles are grayish rather than white and lack the knob until their third or fourth year. Voice: The black-necked swan is mostly silent outside the breeding season. During that time, both sexes give a "soft, musical 'Whee-whee-whee' with the accent on the initial syllable", repeating it to challenge intruders. The call is also used to maintain contact between members of a pair. Males also give "a musical 'hooee-hoo-hoo'."

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Brian Ralphs from Wheaton, IL, USA · CC BY 2.0
Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

Trumpeter Swan

Cygnus buccinator

Huge11.1 kgWetland

The trumpeter swan is the largest extant species of waterfowl, and both the heaviest and longest native bird of North America. Adults usually measure 138–165 cm (4 ft 6 in – 5 ft 5 in) long, though large males can exceed 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) in total length. The weight of adult birds is typically 7–13.6 kg (15–30 lb). Possibly due to seasonal variation based on food access and variability due to age, average weights in males have been reported to range from 10.9 to 12.7 kg (24 to 28 lb) and from 9.4 to 10.3 kg (21 to 23 lb) in females.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Trumpeter Swan
Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma · Call · Rapids Lake Unit, Minnesota Valley NWR, Carver County, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie · Public domain

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-necked Swan and Trumpeter Swan.