Advertisement

Trumpeter swans near Prairie du Chien

Error message

  • Warning: array_merge(): Expected parameter 1 to be an array, bool given in _simpleads_render_ajax_template() (line 133 of /home/pdccourier/www/www/sites/all/modules/simpleads/includes/simpleads.helper.inc).
  • Notice: Trying to get property 'settings' of non-object in _simpleads_adgroup_settings() (line 343 of /home/pdccourier/www/www/sites/all/modules/simpleads/includes/simpleads.helper.inc).
  • Warning: array_merge(): Expected parameter 1 to be an array, bool given in _simpleads_render_ajax_template() (line 157 of /home/pdccourier/www/www/sites/all/modules/simpleads/includes/simpleads.helper.inc).
  • Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in include() (line 24 of /home/pdccourier/www/www/sites/all/modules/simpleads/templates/simpleads_ajax_call.tpl.php).

These are six of the eight trumpeter swans that were in a cornfield along Stuckey Road near Prairie du Chien Tuesday afternoon. Trumpeter swans can be seen in Wisconsin during the spring and fall migrations. They mate for life and part of the courtship ritual is when the males and females spread their wings simultaneously. The trumpeter swan is the heaviest living bird native to North America. It is also the largest extant species of waterfowl with a wingspan that may exceed 10 feet. By 1933, fewer than 70 wild trumpeters were known to exist, and extinction seemed imminent, until aerial surveys discovered a Pacific population of several thousand trumpeters around Alaska’s Copper River. Careful reintroductions by wildlife agencies and the Trumpeter Swan Society gradually restored the North American wild population to over 46,000 birds by 2010. Adults usually measure 4 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 5 inches long, though large males can exceed 5 feet 11 inches in total length. The weight of adult birds is typically 15–30 pounds. It is one of the heaviest living birds or animals capable of flight. The largest known male trumpeter attained a length of 6 feet, a wingspan of 10 feet 2 inches and a weight of 38 pounds. (Photo by Ted Pennekamp)
Rate this article: 
No votes yet