Trumpeter Swans at Glenville

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The southernmost pond at Glenville, south of Hwy. 9, on Dufferin Street, is partially frozen over, but these four Trumpeter Swans, two adults and two juvenile birds, were quite busy dunking their heads and feeding on the bottom of the pond.   The two cygnets are grey in appearance and will be completely white after their first year.   The two in the lower photo are nearing maturity as their grey colouring is limited now to the neck and some flight feathers.   Trumpeters are the largest extant waterfowl species on earth.   The largest known Trumpeter was 183 cm (72") long, with a wingspan of 3.1 m (10 ft) and weighed 17.2 kg (38 lbs).   The birds above are tagged and undoubtedly part an introducing breeding program that is meeting with some success in eastern Canada and the United States.
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BtheB