Mute Swan

Mute Swan

The swans have been with us for much of the winter. They are such pretty birds! They are usually in pairs and quite often we have six visit us at a time. It's always a treat when they bring the new family along. For a long time I have been calling them tundra swans because that is what I was told they were and we do have tundra swans fly over during migration season. However, these swans seem to be here for much of the year and their beak does not match that of a tundra swan. Being curious, I called our local conservation authority to help me identify the swans. They are Mute Swans because unlike their close look-alikes they don't make noise but don't let that fool you as they can be very aggressive especially when nesting. They are very large birds that are rather easy to tame if you feed them. They will keep coming back.

The feral Mute Swan population has expanded throughout the lower Great Lakes Region. They are a good example of an introduced species that originally was not indigenous to Canada. They are not without problems as beautiful as what they are considering they compete for food and habitat against indigenous water fowl. The Mute Swans are very territorial when nesting often to the point of controlling and entire pond, effectively removing a nesting area for indigenous waterfowl, according to the conservation officer, They are also a good example of what can happen when a foreign species is introduced into an ecosystem.