May 11 - Trumpeter Swan

Trumpeter Swan - (Cygnus buccinator) The largest native bird in North America, and on average it is the largest living waterfowl species on Earth. Their breeding habitat is large shallow ponds and wide slow rivers in northwestern and central North America, with the largest numbers of breeding pairs found in Alaska.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Trumpeter Swan was hunted heavily for sport and for its snow white feathers. It is very sensitive to lead poisoning as well, and this only escalated their rapid decline in numbers.

Conservation efforts to reintroduce this bird to its original range has only had modest success. However, over the past 30 years the three most populated regions in North America have shown sustained growth, with signs of continued increases in recent years.