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Learn about the Trumpeter swan, the largest living bird native to North America, and its diet of aquatic plants. Find out how it mates, nests, and faces threats from habitat loss and lead poisoning.
8 lis 2023 · Trumpeter swans are one of the largest waterfowl species in North America. Their diet consists primarily of aquatic vegetation and invertebrates. In this article, we will take a closer look at the feeding habits and dietary preferences of trumpeter swans.
The trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator) is a species of swan found in North America. The heaviest living bird native to North America, it is also the largest extant species of waterfowl, with a wingspan of 185 to 304.8 cm (6 ft 2 in to 10 ft 2 in).
Look for them in shallow ponds, lakes, rivers, and marshes. During migration and winter, you may also find Trumpeter Swans feeding in harvested agricultural fields. Trumpeter Swans are impressively large—males average over 26 pounds, making them North America’s heaviest flying bird.
Adults eat mainly stems, leaves, and roots of aquatic plants, including pondweed, sedges, rushes, arrowleaf, wild celery, bulrush, burreed, and many others. May eat terrestrial grasses and waste crops in winter.
Diet of the Trumpeter Swan. Adult swans are primarily herbivores, though young swans, known as “cygnets,” eat more invertebrates. They eat a variety of leaves, shoots, stems, roots, tubers, and grasses. Some of their favorite species are pondweed, duck potato, horsetail, and sedge.
2 mar 2023 · The diet of Trumpeter Swans depends on their age. Cygnets are mostly carnivores whereas adults are mostly herbivores. They typically forage in bodies of water with abundant aquatic vegetation, such as shallow lakes, ponds, marshes, and slow-moving rivers. During the winter season, they may also feed on dry land.
