Mute Swan
(Cygnus olor)

Summary

Picture of bird
© Bill Morden
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

The Mute Swan is an introduced and invasive species in Canada. The deeply curved neck and prominent black knob at the base of the orange bill readily distinguish this species from the two other native swan species, Tundra Swan and Trumpeter Swan. In Canada, there is one large population of Mute Swan, found mainly along the northern shores of Lakes Erie and Ontario, and a smaller population in southern British Columbia. Intentional introductions and accidental escape of these birds in the late 1880s and early 1900s resulted in a rapidly expanding population in the northeastern United States. The species was first noted in Canada in the mid-1900s and numbers have been increasing since then.

Designations

Listing of the main designations for the species
DesignationStatusDateSubspecies, population
IUCN (Global)Least Concern2012 
Wild Species (Canada)Exotic2010 
Bird Conservation Region StrategyPriority Species2013 

Population status

Geographic areaStatusReliability
CanadaLarge IncreaseHigh
 

Distribution maps

 

Responsibility for conservation of world population

CanadaNot available

Conservation and management

In Canada, all swan species are protected under the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act. This makes the Mute Swan one of the few non-native species to be afforded a legal protection in Canada. However, Mute Swans are highly territorial and aggressive towards other swans and waterfowl and can have a negative impact on these species. Furthermore, as the population increases, conflicts with human are increasing. Mute Swans are large, powerful birds capable of causing serious injury to people and pets; permits may be issued to help control these birds. Foraging swans can also uproot entire plants, which reduces food for other native waterfowl and other wildlife. As the Mute Swan spreads throughout the continent, research on its displacement of native waterfowl species and its effects on North America’s wetland habitats will continue. There is no hunting season for Mute Swan in Canada.

 

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

  • conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
  • stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
  • management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
  • other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

BCRs, marine biogeographic units, and sub-regions in which the species is listed as a priority
RegionSub-region and priority type
Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence PlainLower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain, sub-region and priority type: Ontario Region
 

References