Coming in for a landing
by Inge Riis McDonald
Title
Coming in for a landing
Artist
Inge Riis McDonald
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Trumpeter swans coming in for a landing on a lake in Comox on Vancouver island. Trumpeter swans return to the central and southern Vancouver island from the arctic every year to overwinter.
The trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator) is the largest waterfowl in North America. stretching to 6 feet in length and weighing more than 25 pounds. Getting airborne requires a lumbering takeoff along a 100-yard runway. Despite their size, this once-endangered, now recovering species is as elegant as any swan, with a graceful neck and snowy-white plumage. They breed on wetlands in remote Alaska, Canada, and the northwestern U.S., and winter on ice-free coastal and inland waters.
A fun fact: Trumpeter Swans take an unusual approach to incubation: they warm the eggs by covering them with their webbed feet.
Source: All about Birds.
Uploaded
January 18th, 2014
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