Tundra Swan
Tundra Swan has surged: up 444% on the route-weighted index since 1986.
About the Tundra Swan
The Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) 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 34 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 1 state, most concentrated in the BCR 2.
- Family
- Anatidae · Waterfowl
Notable Tundra Swan Trends
No notable trend signals for Tundra Swan. See the full index history below.
Tundra Swan Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Tundra Swan is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.05 (95% range 0.00–0.13). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±362.3%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.13 |
| 2026 | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.13 |
| 2027 | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.13 |
| 2028 | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.13 |
| 2029 | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.13 |
Where the Tundra Swan Is Detected
BBS routes recording Tundra Swan, sized by most recent count.
Tundra Swan Population Trend by State
| Alaska | +174% | 1986 | 34 |
Tundra Swan Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | +190% | 1986 | 18 |
| BCR 3 | +78% | 2007 | 5 |
| BCR 4 | +63% | 1994 | 10 |
Tundra Swan Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 444% since 1986.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.