GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK — Trumpeter swans had a big summer in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP), according to a Facebook post by the park announcing a successful year for breeding pairs.
In the social media post, GTNP said that three park pairs raised 12 cygnets this summer, which is “well above average!”
“Once nearly extinct in the lower 48, these iconic birds are making a strong comeback thanks to decades of conservation work,” the post reads. “Today, they’re a treasured sight on park wetlands and lakes.”
The Wyoming Wetlands Society (WWS) has been working to restore Greater Yellowstone trumpeter swans since 1986 by supplementing wild populations with a captive breeding program. WWS is the only organization permitted to release captive-bred swans into Yellowstone National Park (YNP) due to rigorous genetic standards. WWS has noted on its website that it has released over 60 swans in YNP since 2012.
According to the WWS Facebook page in June, the organization counted at least five nesting pairs of trumpeter swans in YNP this summer.
GTNP’s social media post includes some fast facts about trumpeter swans, including that the bird is North America’s heaviest flying bird. They typically mate for life and return to the same nesting sites, laying four to six eggs in June. Cygnets are born gray and fuzzy, and they learn to swim within days of being born.
Swan habitat requires quiet wetlands and shallow lakes away from human interference. “Enjoy from a distance,” the post reads. “Cygnets need calm, undisturbed space to grow up strong!”
