Bird Guide

Trumpeter Swan vs Tundra Swan

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
Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)

Tundra Swan

Cygnus columbianus

Huge6.4 kgWetland

C. columbianus is the smallest of the Holarctic swans, at 115–150 cm (45–59 in) in length, 168–211 cm (66–83 in) in wingspan and a weight range of 3.4–9.6 kg (7.5–21.2 lb). In adult birds, the plumage of both subspecies is entirely white, with black feet, and a bill that is mostly black, with a thin salmon-pink streak running along the mouthline and – depending on the subspecies – more or less yellow in the proximal part. The iris is dark brown. In birds living in waters that contains large amounts of iron ions (e.g. bog lakes), the head and neck plumage acquires a golden or rusty hue. Voice: Tundra swans have high-pitched honking calls and sound similar to a black goose (Branta). They are particularly vocal when foraging in flocks on their wintering grounds; any conspecific arriving or leaving will elicit a bout of loud excited calling from its fellows.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Tundra Swan
Recorded by steve · Call · Sixth Siding, Beaufort County, North Carolina, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: belvedere04 · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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