trumpeter swan

 

$300

The Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus buccinator is the largest native North American bird, if measured in terms of weight and length, and is (on average) the largest waterfowl species on earth. Males typically measure from 145–163 cm (57–64 inches) and weigh 11.8 kg (26 lb); females typically range from 139–150 cm (55–60 inches) and weigh 10 kg (22 lb) .

Before fur trappers and Euopean settlers arrive, trumpeter swans ranged throughout the northern third of North America. Evidence of trumpeters has been found at archaeological sites in Ohio.

Uncontrolled hunting in the 18th century resulted in the near extinction of the North American population by 1900. They were hunted for their meat, skin, eggs, and, in particular, feathers, which were used in fashion and to make powder puffs and writing pens. The last Ohio record of a trumpeter swan was in April, 1900, when it was shot near Wellston, Ohio.

Seventeen breeding pairs of trumpeter swans are now living in Ohio (7-05, mariononline.com), exceeding the goals set nine years ago when the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife reintroduced the species.