Edited by Paul Holtan
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
PO Box 7921
Madison WI 53707
(608) 267-7517
Fax: (608) 264-6293
E-mail address: paul.holtan@wisconsin.gov

Waterfowl hunters cautioned to watch for swans, whooping cranes

MADISON – Waterfowl hunters currently in the field hunting geese and heading out this month to hunt ducks need to be especially careful in identifying all birds before shooting. With more than 100 pairs of endangered trumpeter swans nesting in Wisconsin this year, state wildlife officials estimating the total population of free-flying swans in the state with close to 600, many of which are immature, so they have a not yet developed their signature white feathers and have a more grayish plumage.

In addition, about 60 endangered whooping cranes are now in Wisconsin and both the swans and cranes will soon begin fall migrations.

The growing swan population is due to a successful restoration effort that began in 1987 that involved collecting swan eggs from Alaska, and then hatching and rearing the swans for release in Wisconsin. Nesting pairs occurred in 19 counties in Wisconsin, with over half the population in northwester Wisconsin, according to Sumner Matteson, an avian ecologist with the Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Endangered Resources.

Trumpeter swans are the largest waterfowl species in North America. Adults are all white and stand up to 5 feet tall, weighing between 20 and 35 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan. Younger swans, called cygnets, have grayish plumage and are smaller, but are still are significantly larger than Canada geese, with which they are sometimes confused.

The whooping cranes are members of a growing population that has primarily remained within the lower two-thirds of the state along major Wisconsin rivers and wetlands, and in the core reintroduction area of the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge.

Whooping cranes also have snow white plumage with the exception of black wing tips and a black mustache. They can reach 5 feet in height with a 7 to 8 foot wing span, and weigh up to 17 pounds. Juveniles have a plumage that is heavily mottled with cinnamon-brown feathers.

Cranes are currently using wetlands along the lower Wisconsin River, more than 25 state wildlife areas, Horicon Marsh and numerous private wetlands as they prepare to migrate, according to Beth Kienbaum, DNR whooping crane coordinator. The crane reintroduction program is being carried out by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, which is working to reestablish an eastern migratory population.

The unintentional shooting of a swan or crane can result in fines and restitution costs exceeding $2,000; the intentional shooting of a swan can exceed $5,000 in fines and restitution costs. Additionally, hunters found guilty of shooting a swan can loose their hunting privileges for up to three years.

Since the swan reintroduction program began, more than 30 Wisconsin swans have been shot accidentally or intentionally in the Midwest, Matteson says.

“Hunters have done a great job in learning the differences between swans and geese, but with the growing number of swans and now whooping cranes present in the state, we want to remind them to continue to be vigilant in identifying their game.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Sumner Matteson - (608) 266-1571 and Beth Kienbaum – (608) 266-3219