***Federal - MBTA***

    Trumpeter Swans are a very rare bird in New York State, but I've included them here because of their story (and because I have a picture.)  Trumpeter Swans were once much more common than they are now.  They were hunted until their numbers were extremely low and they were extirpated from the eastern United States.  The New York DEC in conjuction with several other agencies is attempting to reintroduce the species to the state as a breeding bird.  There are some resident birds locally (mostly near Lake Ontario), but at least one pair has nested successfully in recent years.  Simply reintroducing a species such as this is not enough because they have lost the ability to migrate, something which they would have learned from other swans as the older individuals migrated, much like geese do today.  With no preceeding generations humans have taken the place and are training the young Trumpeters to migrate by following an airplane for their first voyage.
    Trumpeter Swans are the least common of three swan species in New York.  It is most easily confused with the Tundra Swan, but can be differentiated by its longer neck, larger size, and the indented "V" where the feathers meet the upper bill.  Another decent identifying mark is the straight slope from the forehead to the bill tip where Tundra Swans have a concave sillhouette.