Mute Swan
Mute Swan has fallen sharply: down 57% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Mute Swan
The Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) is a North American member of the Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl (Anatidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the waterfowl.
- Size
- 12–43.5 in long (30–110 cm) — a medium to large waterfowl (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes and sheltered coastal waters.
- Diet
- Aquatic plants, seeds and invertebrates, dabbled at the surface or dived for.
- Range
- Recorded on 114 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 18 states, most concentrated in the New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast.
- Family
- Anatidae · Waterfowl
Notable Mute Swan Trends
No notable trend signals for Mute Swan. See the full index history below.
Mute Swan Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Mute Swan is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.03 (95% range 0.00–0.07). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±39.8%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
| 2026 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
| 2027 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
| 2028 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
| 2029 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
Where the Mute Swan Is Detected
BBS routes recording Mute Swan, sized by most recent count.
Mute Swan Population Trend by State
| California | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Connecticut | +11% | 1979 | 8 |
| Delaware | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Illinois | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| Indiana | +176% | 2002 | 7 |
| Kentucky | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Maryland | +73% | 1992 | 6 |
| Massachusetts | +93% | 1981 | 11 |
| Michigan | -25% | 1979 | 26 |
| Minnesota | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| New Hampshire | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| New Jersey | -82% | 1972 | 11 |
| New York | -42% | 1968 | 13 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | +47% | 1984 | 12 |
| Rhode Island | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Virginia | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Wisconsin | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
Mute Swan Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | +9% | 1979 | 6 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | -61% | 1994 | 6 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | +19% | 2003 | 8 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | -8% | 1980 | 28 |
| Appalachian Mountains | -12% | 1975 | 19 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +1% | 1968 | 39 |
Mute Swan Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 57% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.