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Photo by etow
Location: Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area, Ohio, USA

Cygnus buccinator

[edit] Identification

145–163 cm; females - 139–150 cm. White plumage, long neck, black bill marked with salmon-pink along the mouthline, short black legs. The cygnets are grey, becoming white after the first year.

It was named for its trumpet-like honk.

[edit] Distribution

Northwestern and central North America, with the largest numbers of breeding pairs found in Alaska.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Habitat

Large shallow ponds and wide slow rivers.

[edit] Behaviour

3-10 eggs are laid in a mound of plant material on a small island and are incubated by the female for 32-37 days.

They feed while swimming, sometimes up-ending or dabbling to reach submerged food. The diet is almost entirely aquatic plants. In winter, they may also eat grasses and grains in fields. The young are fed on insects and small crustaceans along with plants at first, changing to a vegetation-based diet over the first few months.

[edit] External Links