Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)

Last week I posted a photo of a Trumpeter Swan, a species native to North America. Esquimalt Lagoon is also home to a flock of Mute Swans (Cygnus olor). While they are not native to North America they have naturalized themselves in the Esquimalt Lagoon (and also in neighboring Albert Head Lagoon) after some of their ancestors escaped from captivity in Beacon Hill Park. Mute Swans are not so large as Trumpeter Swans but the clearly distinguishing mark is that odd-shaped black lump on the upper half of their bright orange bill. The Trumpeter Swan has a pure black bill with no lump.

Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

While out at Esquimalt Lagoon the other day I noticed an impressively big swan among the other swans and ducks along the shoreline of the lagoon. It wasn't until I got home and had a good look at the photos I'd taken that I realized that this bird was not just bigger but was different in other ways from the Mute Swans that are usually seen around the lagoon. The bird above is a Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator), the largest native North American bird. It's only slightly larger than the Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) but the latter is an introduced species that has escaped captivity and naturalized itself. I've included a photo of a Mute Swan on the left to show the differences in bill color and shape.