Trumpeter Swan

The Trumpeter Swan is one of North America's largest birds at 60-72 inches in height. The colour of the adult is white with black a bill; younger birds are a dusky grey-brown the bill being pink with a black base and tip. The voice of the Trumpeter Swan is a bugling, lower pitch.
Their preferred habitat is near marshes, lakes and rivers with dense vegetation. At last count there were of 50 nesting pairs in and around the Seney National Wildlife Preserve.
The Trumpeter Swan feeds on water, rooting in the shallow, mucky waters for roots and grasses; they also graze on land. The nest is built on a bulrush covered island or beaver dam and contains 4-6 whitish eggs. In the early part of this century Trumpeter Swans became almost extinct due to the draining of marshes, hunting and other disturbances along with a low rate of reproduction.