Seventeen breeding pairs of trumpeter swans are now living in Ohio, exceeding the goals set nine years ago when the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife reintroduced the species.
In 1996, the Division of Wildlife set management goals of establishing15 trumpeter swan breeding pairs in the state by 2006.
“To date we have counted 17 breeding pairs, and we believe that almost all of them have hatched cygnets (young swans) this year,” said wildlife biologist Dave Sherman. Overall, the division has identified more than 100 individual trumpeter swans in the state since the start of the year.
This number is a sharp contrast to the population of trumpeter swans found in Ohio and the nation in the year 1900. Following a century of unregulated killing, nearly the entire North American population of trumpeter swans had been eliminated, except for a few birds found in isolated breeding areas in the Western United States.
The Division of Wildlife began efforts to return the trumpeter swan to the state with the help of its partners, the Cleveland Zoo and The Wilds located in Muskingum County. Trumpeter swan eggs were initially collected from Alaska and hatched at the Cleveland Zoo. When the cygnets were 6 weeks old, they were transferred to The Wilds where they stayed until old enough to be released into the wild. This fostering program ran from 1996 to 1998. Because of the success of the program, all trumpeter swan reproduction now occurs in the wild.
Adult trumpeter swans weigh 20 to 30 pounds, stand 4 feet tall and have a wingspan of 7 feet. Males, called cobs, average 27 pounds. Females, called pens, average 22 pounds. The trumpeter derives its name from its call, described as resonant, deep, loud, and trumpet-like, resembling the notes of a French horn. The trumpeter swan has a life span of 20 to 30 years, and it usually starts breeding at 4 years of age.
Trumpeter swan reintroduction is one of many successful wildlife diversity projects the Division of Wildlife has coordinated. These wildlife diversity programs are funded, in part, through sale of the cardinal license plate. To purchase a cardinal license plate, contact your local deputy registrar or call the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles at 1-888-PLATES3.
Additional money for wildlife diversity restoration and educational efforts is derived from contributions to the Wildlife Diversity and Endangered Species Fund through a check-off on the Ohio state income tax return form.
