NYC’s First-Ever Sighting of Once Near-Extinct Swan Has Brooklyn Residents Asking for More
New York City is no stranger to unexpected visitors, but a recent arrival to the East River has captured the attention — and hearts — of Brooklyn residents and bird lovers citywide.
On March 10, a group of bird watchers gathered at the North 5th Street Pier and Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and noticed a flock of swans gliding through the East River. Most of the birds were familiar. But one stood out immediately.
While the other swans — presumed to be mute swans — sported the bright orange beaks typical of their species, one outlier in the group had a distinctly black beak, a straight neck and what observers described as “red lipstick” markings.
It didn’t take long for bird lovers to take notice — and to realize they were witnessing something extraordinary.
Experts Confirm What Many Bird Watchers Suspected
According to Margaret Smith, the executive director of the Trumpeter Swan Society, the black-billed swan was, in fact, a trumpeter swan — and its presence in the city was unprecedented.
“It is a very rare sighting. I’ve never received any reports of trumpeter swans in New York City, and so it was pretty exciting, actually, to get those reports,” Smith said in an interview with Hell Gate.
According to ABC7NY, the first reported sighting of the trumpeter swan was on Feb. 28. But March 10 marked the first recorded sighting — making it a historic moment for the city’s birding community.
For those who may not know one swan from another, here’s what sets these birds apart.
The trumpeter swan is one of three swan species found in North America and one of two that are native to the continent.
The other two species are mute swans, which have an orange beak, and tundra swans, which have a black beak with a yellow marking near the eye.
Trumpeter swans are the largest of the three and one of the heaviest native waterfowl on the continent.
They can span up to six feet and weigh over 25 pounds — making them an impressive sight on any body of water, let alone the East River in Brooklyn.
The Trumpeter Swan’s Remarkable Comeback Story
The trumpeter swan’s appearance in New York City carries even greater significance when you consider how close the species came to vanishing entirely.
Trumpeter swans were nearly extinct due to commercial and subsistence hunting in the early 1900s. Their population plummeted to dangerously low numbers as demand for their feathers and meat took a devastating toll.
But conservation efforts over the decades helped the species recover. In 2015, there were nearly 70,000 trumpeter swans living in places like Canada, Alaska, Montana and even Upstate New York, according to WABC.
Smith emphasized the broader significance of the swan’s visit during an interview with WABC.
“What you are seeing there is really a blessing, the gift of the people around you, states around you who cared enough to bring back this bird that was on the brink of extinction,” Smith said to WABC.
Making Swan Friends in Williamsburg
So what brought this trumpeter swan to a Brooklyn waterfront in the first place? Smith offered her best guess.
“My guess is that the young swan was exploring the area and probably saw the mute swan — saw a big white bird — and probably thought, ‘It’s a fellow swan,’” Smith told Hell Gate. “Trumpeter swans are social creatures.”
The trumpeter swan appears to have made a few mute swan friends during its stay, including one local swan that bird watchers dubbed William, after the Williamsburg neighborhood where the birds were spotted.
The nickname quickly took on a life of its own on social media. Some users joked that William has finally found his Kate — a playful reference to Prince William and Kate Middleton.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
