The Swan Project

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Increasing resident Trumpeter Swans in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.

The Trumpeter Swan is one of the great, iconic birds of North America. They have plenty of space to grow, but they just don’t know it yet.

THE PROBLEM

Trumpeter Swans aren’t occupying protected habitats.

These North American birds are reluctant to fly long distances in search of new nesting sites. They also won’t explore areas without an existing swan presence.

The Intermountain West offers quality swan habitat, but it sits unoccupied.

THE SOLUTION

Strategically release captive-reared birds and understand their movements.

The Swan Project took captive-reared birds and released them into suitable, yet unoccupied swan habitat. By connecting the dots between current swan nesting populations in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, we worked to create a single, interconnected swan population.

An interconnected swan population greatly increases the population of this great bird’s survival rate.

But where do the birds go after they’re released?

We are initiating two studies to find out. The first will analyze 30 years of survey data on released swans in the Upper Green River. The second seeks to better understand the interactions between resident birds in the Yellowstone region and birds that breed in Canada, but winter among residents each year. If these two populations interact more than we believe they do, it will affect our restoration goals and how we proceed in the future.