Odd Swan......

[Cryfowl]

Ran across this immature Trumpeter Swan yesterday. I have never seen one with a pure Orange Bill before. Maybe just a color variation. Talked to a local biologists who has seen this same bird. She is still looking into it. Any ideas????

 

[skyhigh]

maybe momma got some strange from one of these...

actually, I think it is pretty cool and I dont think it is any hybrid, but ya never know?...
I have seen a few HY swans this year with more reddish bill than a typical HY bird but nothing as complete as your picture...

 

[Gun N Run]

Boy thats a tough one. The mute swan is a good point, but the look of the anatomy just doesn't seem hybrid. Please keep us posted if you hear anything about it.

 

[riversledder]

I would guess an Juvie Mute swan. Any White swan with an Orange Culmen in the wild here in Oregon is fair game according to F&W. They are trying to eliminate all the Mute swans that have gotten loose. We were told they are a huge threat to native waterfowl and that they need to be controlled.

 

[wdlfbio]

I'm thinking it should be a dead mute swan

 

[Capt. Cormorant]

I'm thinking it should be a dead mute swan

Yup!

 

[ntropy]

The bill profile definitely does not look like a trumpeter and doesn't scream Tundra to me (but the camera angle could be the cause). Tundra cygnets can have almost entire pink bills.

But it also looks odd for a mute because there is no black on the bill and only a hint that a knob may be coming. Nevertheless I think it is a mute. Here is what the Trumpeter Swan Society picture of a mute juvey.

Likewise the British Trust for Ornithology photo of a mute cygnet.