Trumpeter Swan

Description:

Trumpeter Swans are immense waterfowl with heavy bodies and long necks typically held straight both on the water and in flight. The large bill slopes gradually down from the forehead. Adult Trumpeter Swans are entirely white with a black bill and black legs. Immatures are gray-brown. Trumpeter Swans forage in fairly shallow water, reaching under the surface to eat aquatic vegetation and at times tipping up in the manner of a dabbling duck. They also visit agricultural fields to eat spilled or leftover grains and crops.

Habitat:

Marshy backwaters of the Mississippi River at the Princeton Wildlife Management Area

Notes:

These swans few so close to us that I couldn't even get them completely into the frame. They were quite noisy when they first landed, obviously annoyed at our presence, but after sitting down, they calmed down and didn't seem bothered by us.