4 ways to tell apart swans and snow geese
It's a big, white bird paddling on that body of water.
But what exactly is it?
Most likely, it's a trumpeter swan if you're in Iowa. The trumpeter swans is native to the state and is the biggest waterfowl native to the U.S., its wingspan reaching up to 8 feet --- that's taller than Yao Ming, who was only 7 feet six inches.
Prior to settlers coming to Iowa, these swans nested throughout the state, but wetland drainage and unregulated hunting led the species to endangered status. After a concentrated effort to reintroduce the species back to Iowa by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and local conservation organizations, the trumpeter swan now has a conservation status of species of least concern.
As popular as it is today, many people still don't exactly know what a trumpeter swan looks like or how it differs from other swans and even a snow goose. Here are some differentiating factors between swans and a snow goose.
Bill
Perhaps the easiest way to tell species of swans apart is by their bill. A trumpeter swan has a black bill with a discreet red border on its lower mandible --- the top of its bottom jaw. The tundra swan has a yellow mark at the top of its bill, right under its eye. The mute swan has an orange bill with a black knob on its forehead. The snow goose has a much stubbier pink bill with a black patch in the middle.
Size
Size is an easy way to tell different species apart. As mentioned above, trumpeter swans are definitely the biggest with an 8-foot wingspan and a body that reaches up to 6 feet long.
Mute swans, which were introduced to the U.S. from Europe and Asia because of their looks, are almost as big with wingspans 82-94 inches and bodies 57 inches, but tundra swans are definitely smaller than both.
Tundra swans have wingspans 72-80 inches and 52-inch bodies.
Snow geese are much smaller with wings 36-44 inches wide and a 27-inch body.
Call
If you can hear the bird that is in question, check these calls to see which it matches up with. A mute swan is less vocal than other swan species, although it is not completely mute, because its trachea goes straight into the lungs instead of being embedded in the sternum.
Mute swan
Trumpeter swan
Tundra swan
Snow goose
Wings and neck
A snow goose can be told apart from all swan species because of its wings. Swans have all white wings with long, slender necks, while a snow goose has black primary feathers and a short neck.
When you take a close look, each swan is different than the other, and although people say snow geese look just like swans, they really are quite different.
Bird egg memory match game
Naturalist Ashley Hansen talks about how amazing bird eggs are — from the myriad of colors to the variety of sizes. You can learn even more about bird eggs by downloading our bird egg memory match game! Simply print off the pieces on cardstock, cut them out and match eggs with the adult bird. When Read More »
Read More
Egret, crane or heron? How to tell which bird you have seen
Two big white birds — rehabilitated trumpeter swans — live on the Kenue Park wetland, but last week we also spotted three more white birds. Egrets? Cranes? Herons? We were trying to figure out what they were but we couldn’t see their necks, because it was breezy and they had their heads hunkered down. However, Read More »
Read More
Flying high: Mallards one of highest flying birds documented
We have many wonderful volunteers at the Dickinson County Nature Center, and one of regular front desk helpers loves to bring in articles with interesting animal facts. The last article she brought in from “Smithsonian” magazine told that the highest bird flight ever recorded was by the Ruppell’s griffon, a vulture native to Africa. It’s Read More »
Read More
Trumpeter swans were once gone from Iowa
Trumpeter swans are a majestic sight. Their graceful long necks. Their brilliant white feathers. Their long, slender wings that help them hover above the earth. As strong as they may look, being the largest waterfowl native to North America, they are not invincible. In fact, they were once extirpated — extinct in a local region Read More »
Read More
Feeding the Kenue Park trumpeter swans
Check out the trumpeter swans on the wetland year-round with our live web camera. Click here. You can also find more videos on our Videos page or watch what Teddy the turtle eats here.
Read More
Make your own backyard birding binoculars
Birding is such a popular hobby because everyone can do it. Whether you are backyard birding, taking a hike or even boating, you can always catalogue the birds that you see. The he Dickinson County Nature Center features nests of some of the most common birds you might see right outside your window. (Grackles, blackbirds Read More »
Read More
Swans standing like flamingoes
I turned on the live web camera at the nature center last week and zoomed in on the two rehabilitated trumpeter swans on the wetland. The weather was warm, and it appeared the waterfowl were having a ball in the springtime temperatures. They dipped their necks down into the water and then bent them back Read More »
Read More
People often seem to say Canadian geese while the term is Canada geese which is actually named after a man named Canada
True, it is Canada geese 🙂
Nope what I saw wasn’t a swan or snow geese
I hear “Canadian” Geese all the time instead of Canada Geese. I have also heard the story about a man named “John Canada”. I am a bit skeptical about that part; I wasn’t able to readily find any information confirming that point. I believe that may be apocryphal.
Would the bird from the untitled goose game be a swan or a goose? I believe it to be a mute swan, who happens to make a goose call. Can anyone help?
If swans only have white feathers then what color is a black swans feathers?.
Native U.S. swans all have white feathers
I live in Whatcom County, WA, and on two occasions about two weeks apart, I’ve seen trumpeter swans in fields NW and N of Lynden, WA.
The first was a flock of ~50 individuals, feeding in stubble. The second time was on 12/27, and only 3 individuals. They, too, were feeding in stubble.
We have many bird species here, lots of Canada, snow geese, etc, but these were a surprise!
I live in Lewis County WA and just last week I saw a flock of around 20 trumpeter swans swimming and feeding in a lowland waterlogged corn field, it too was a surprise! I feel that here it’s part of an annual migration pattern as I seem to remember seeing them near the same field every year around this time.
Toe field Alberta, Canada, one hour east of Edmonton, annually has Snow Geese gatherings to which they invite bus loads of tourist with bird interests. As the birds are migrating they stop in their journey at this quiet out of the way community to feed and rest.
To the untrained eye,swans, trumpeters and mute swans are dispersed in the flocks.
The event is TOEFIELD’S claim to fame, worth seeing to obtain a personal moment of contentment, a moment of ALL IS WELL WITH YOUR WORLD.
This past week on a very cold day in the heart of Minneapolis, but close to the Mississippi River, l looked into the sky and saw 7-9 pristine white, very large oval bodied birds in a tight formation flying overhead. There was too much street noise to ‘hear’ them but lm thinking Swans, but which? My car had just been hit by a red light runner so l took this sign as a good omen! BTW, a graphic of the undersides from below might be helpful.
I was playing a Hank Williams song by the lake one night and the yodelling called in a pair of swans from across the lake. They circled around three times overhead before moving on. Living proof that swans like honky tonk!
Do swans every land in corn fields for food or are they always in water
Swans are most commonly seen on water. They may graze outside of a wetland, but it is not as common as geese.
Yesterday I was surprised to hear both Snow goose and Canadian geese calls at the same time. I looked up and the “V” was led by 4 snows and the rest on each side of the v were Canada Geese, with three at the end of one side all white!!! they DO travel together!!! so fun to see! ( It was outside of Garfield of MN and they were heading north west.
I am sitting at my cottage on Lake Ontario, and I just saw a v formation led by 6 snow geese followed by 6-8 Canadian geese! Awesome.
Do snow geese and swan ever travel in the same flock? I am looking at a medium flock on a freshwater lake north of Stillwater, Minnesota? Most of the birds are all white with fairly long necks. The other birds have grayish, black feathers in top of white feathers with shorter necks.
They may not travel together, but they may stop in the same areas during migration, so you can see them together on lakes. We have a large group of Canada geese on East Lake Okoboji right now that also has about eight trumpeter swans in it.