Mute swans are federally protected, but the non-native bird could be harming the comeback of their larger, native cousins – the Trumpeter swan. Wildlife officials are supporting a bill that would allow mute swans to be killed. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Christina Shockley reports:
Transcript
Mute swans are federally protected, but the non-native
bird could be harming the comeback of their larger, native
cousins – the Trumpeter swan. Wildlife officials are
supporting a bill that would allow mute swans to be killed.
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Christina Shockley
reports:]]
Mute swans are large, elegant white birds with bright
orange beaks. People brought them here from Europe and
Asia to adorn public parks and private ponds. Now living
in the wild, they’re competing with native birds, like the
trumpeter swan.
Tami Ryan is a wildlife biologist in Wisconsin, where the
trumpeter is endangered. She says the mute swan could be
impeding work done to bring back the trumpeter
population.
“They could have a detrimental effect on trumpeter swan
pairs that are trying to set up breeding territories, or
trumpeter swan families in trying to have feeding
territories. If there’s mute swans in the area, there’s
definitely going to be some competition.”
A bill before Congress would allow mute swans to be
killed, or their eggs destroyed.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Christina
Shockley.