Possible Trumpeter Swan in Ocean County, NJ

     A few days before Christmas, someone eBirded an interesting swan at Stafford Forge WMA in Southwestern Ocean County.  This observer, and many others since, strongly believe it fits the profile of a juvenile trumpeter swan.  The day after Christmas, I went out to see the bird and am also leaning heavily toward trumpeter swan.  Since trumpeter swan is a review species in New Jersey, the NJ Bird Records Committee will have to vote to accept it as a trumpeter swan, not a trumpeter swan, or inconclusive.  The record committee’s decision will not be known until March or April of 2026.

Currently, based on my extensive research, Ocean County has recorded 421 bird species of wild origin.  Trumpeter swan sightings in NJ have been mostly limited to Assunpink WMA in Monmouth County.  If it holds up as a trumpeter swan, then that will improve the county list to at least 422.  There have been at least three other bird species eBirded this year that would be new to Ocean County if accepted.  The identification of those birds- a Barolo shearwater, a burrowing owl and a fork-tailed flycatcher, are pretty much straightforward.  Validity of those sightings need to be confirmed.  

Unlike identifying the other three birds, positivily identifying this swan is challenging.  Trumpeter swan versus tundra swan identification, other than by voice, can be difficult.  Adding the fact that this particular bird is a juvenile, or first year bird, ratchets the challenge up a notch or two.  In general, the swan gives off trumpeter vibes. Yet, for every trumpeter identification field mark, one can argue for tundra swan.

Young swan at Stafford Forge WMA in southern Ocean County, NJ, 12/26/2025.  © S. Weiss

For starters, trumpeters are larger than tundras.  With some adult tundras also sharing the lake, it does not seem that the bird is significantly larger.  Although size comparison in the field can be misleading, several observers have pointed out that as a juvenile bird it may not yet have attained full size.  Then there's the molt.  Trumpeters hold their juvenal plumage for nearly a year, whereas tundras begin molting their juvenal plumage in late December.  This is where we’re at now. To me, it appears this bird is still holding first year feathers. A tundra by now should be showing more white.

The more traditional field markers, the bill and face, seem favorable to trumpeter, but don’t completely rule out tundra.  This bird’s bill is definitely large and sloping.  From the top of the head to the bill tip it looks very straight and even, like a canvasback duck.  A tundra would have some curvature.  But, alas, some references state that the bills of young tundras may seem to be swollen as part of their development, thus creating that same look.  As for color, young trumpeters have some pink at the center of the top mandible before later becoming all black.  But, of course, tundra bills start out pink before turning mostly black.

Tundra swans at Cranberry Bogs, Berkeley Twp., NJ, 2/23/2022.  © S. Weiss

Trumpeter swans at Assunpink WMA, Monmouth County, NJ, 12/27/2018.  © S. Weiss

Then there are the lores.  The black of the trumpeter swan’s bill reaches up to and connects the eyes, at least as wide as the eyes, but very much less so in a tundra.  This swan seems to have that trait. 

The strongest feature to help separate trumpeter and tundra is the forehead where the black of the bill and lores meet the white of the bird’s head.  The edge of the black on a trumpeter will form a V notch compared to a wide U shape on a tundra.  My photos do not show this feature, but those of others show this bird with a deep notch.  The point of this bird’s V looks more rounded than pointed, but it is very deep, not shallow and broad as expected on a tundra.  Just another mark that isn’t exactly by the books.

Tundra swan, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, 12/2/2024.  © S. Weiss

The bill edge at this swan's forehead makes an obvious wide, shallow U shape, diagnostic of tundra swan.  The swan in question has a deep notch, not exactly pointed, but is much deeper towards the bill center than what this tundra shows.

Left, trumpeter swan candidate.  Right, tundra swans.  © S. Weiss

Red lines show the straightness of the bill of the trumpeter candidate (left) and the concave appearance of the tundra bills (right).  The orange arrow shows the black lore connecting the eye in the same width.  The lores of the tundra is narrower.  The growth of the yellow patch may at times make like the eyes appear to not be connected to the lores.  Some references say the red lipstick line separating the lower and upper mandibles of the candidate is a trait of trumpeter swans, but some tundras also show a similar feature.

Lastly, one observer saw the feet of the swan (I only viewed it on the water) and noted that they were pink, thus pointing more towards a tundra.  But wait.  I visited the Trumpeter Swan Society website for some help on this and, lo and behold, it states that trumpeter swan legs and feet vary from pink to brown through the their first year.

The final say is now up to the NJBRC.  It would be nice if this bird sticks around until late winter/early spring when the committee’s 2025 report is published.  By then the bird will look either still like a young trumpeter or more like an adult tundra.