Mute Swan
(Cygnus olor)

Overview

Summary

© Bill Morden
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The Mute Swan is an introduced and invasive species in Canada. It can be readily distinguished from the other two native swan species (Tundra Swan and Trumpeter Swan) by its deeply curved neck and prominent black knob at the base of its orange bill. Intentional introductions and accidental escapes of these birds in the late 1880s to the 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. There is now a population established along the northern shores of Lakes Erie and Ontario, and a smaller population in southern British Columbia. The Mute Swan is listed as a species of management interest in the Ontario Region Bird Conservation Region Strategy due to its high abundance. National population goals have not been established for this and other introduced species.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario (2001-2005): Breeding evidence
• British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas (2008-2017): Breeding Evidence
• North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS): Relative Abundance and Breeding Distribution (1970-2016)

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation

General nesting period in Canada

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 (Ciaranca et al. 1997). Foraging swans can also uproot entire plants, which reduces food for other native waterfowl and other wildlife. As the population increases, conflicts with humans 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. Further research on the effects of Mute Swan on North American wetlands is warranted. 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.

References

• Canadian Wildlife Service. 2017. Managing conflicts with migratory birds [online]. Canadian Wildlife Service. 2017. Managing conflicts with migratory birds [online]. (Link)
• Ciaranca, M.A., C.C. Allin, and G.S. Jones. 1997. Mute Swan (Cygnus olor), version 2.0. In: The Birds of North America (A F. Poole et F.B. Gill, eds). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. Ciaranca, M.A., C.C. Allin, and G.S. Jones. 1997. Mute Swan (Cygnus olor), version 2.0. In: The Birds of North America (A F. Poole et F.B. Gill, eds). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. (Link)
• Meehan, T.D., G.S. LeBaron, K. Dale, N.L. Michel, G.M. Verutes, and G.M. Langham. 2018. Abundance trends of birds wintering in the USA and Canada, from Audubon Christmas Bird Counts, 1966-2017, version 2.1. National Audubon Society, New York, New York, USA. Meehan, T.D., G.S. LeBaron, K. Dale, N.L. Michel, G.M. Verutes, and G.M. Langham. 2018. Abundance trends of birds wintering in the USA and Canada, from Audubon Christmas Bird Counts, 1966-2017, version 2.1. National Audubon Society, New York, New York, USA. (Link)
• Petrie, S.A. and C.M. Francis. 2003. Rapid increase in the lower Great Lakes population of feral mute swans: a review and a recommendation. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 407-416. Petrie, S.A. and C.M. Francis. 2003. Rapid increase in the lower Great Lakes population of feral mute swans: a review and a recommendation. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 407-416. (Link)