Ashley and Crippen Photographers, Toronto|Corporate Headshots/Executive Headshots 

Birds

Trumpeter Swans

The other major North American race of swan, The Trumpeter, is a huge bird that is found in the northwest but is being introduced further east. At the beginning of the twentieth century the species had almost died out, after hunters slaughtered it for its down and skin, and swans eggs had become sought-after by gourmets. After protection was introduced, the population rose and is still slowly increasing. The trumpeter swan breeds near water, building a large mound of plant material in which it lays 2-3 eggs. Incubation is done by the female bird, and takes around 33 days. The young birds leave the nest very soon after hatching, but stay with the parent birds until the following spring. The Trumpeter Swan has white plumage and a very long slender neck, which it tends to hold straight upwards. Its straight bill is black and it has black facial skin which comes down in a deep V on the forehead. The immature bird has a pinkish bill and its plumage is a dull gray-brown, which it retains through the first spring. This species eats aquatic plants and insects; they use their long necks to reach food on the bottom.