USGS research on swans in Alaska has focused on pathogens, contaminants, and demographic rates in each of the different breeding areas of Alaska. The vastly different migration patterns of swans in Alaska means that there are multiple factors on the wintering grounds and during migration that may influence population size and trends.
Return to Ecosystems >> Terrestrial Ecosystems >> Waterfowl Research
Tundra Swan
Tundra swans, once known as whistling swans, are a common breeding bird along coastal portions of Alaska, but there are distinctly different migratory patterns for birds across Alaska. Birds that breed on the North Slope of Alaska, winter on the east coast of North America, whereas those nesting in western Alaska winter along the west coast. Additionally, birds breeding along the Alaska Peninsula are largely non-migratory.
Watch satellite tracking of the migratory pathways of marked birds from these populations below using Argos Wildlife Tracking.
More information with tracking maps and data for each Tundra Swan can be found here
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Waterfowl Research
Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus)
Avian Influenza Research
- Overview
USGS research on swans in Alaska has focused on pathogens, contaminants, and demographic rates in each of the different breeding areas of Alaska. The vastly different migration patterns of swans in Alaska means that there are multiple factors on the wintering grounds and during migration that may influence population size and trends.
Return to Ecosystems >> Terrestrial Ecosystems >> Waterfowl Research
Tundra Swan
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Tundra swan on the Colville River Delta, Alaska 2013.(Credit: Ryan Askren, U.S. Geological Survey. Public domain.) Tundra swans, once known as whistling swans, are a common breeding bird along coastal portions of Alaska, but there are distinctly different migratory patterns for birds across Alaska. Birds that breed on the North Slope of Alaska, winter on the east coast of North America, whereas those nesting in western Alaska winter along the west coast. Additionally, birds breeding along the Alaska Peninsula are largely non-migratory.
Watch satellite tracking of the migratory pathways of marked birds from these populations below using Argos Wildlife Tracking.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Argos Wildlife Tracking of Tundra Swans(Credit: David Douglas, USGS. Public domain.) More information with tracking maps and data for each Tundra Swan can be found here
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Autumn and spring migratory pathways for Arctic Coastal Plain (blue), Bristol Bay Lowland (orange), and Lower Alaska Peninsula (red) populations of Alaska tundra swans from 2008 through 2011 based on locations of birds marked with satellite transmitters. Publication: Molecular Detection of Hematozoa Infections in Tundra Swans Relative to Migration Patterns and Ecological Conditions at Breeding Grounds https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0045789(Credit: Craig Ely, USGS. Public domain.) - Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Waterfowl Research
Scientists at the USGS Alaska Science Center have conducted research on waterfowl species (ducks, geese, and swans) in Alaska since the 1970s. Because Alaska is an international crossroads of migratory bird flyways, with millions of birds from Asia and North America breeding in Alaska each summer, USGS research has also taken place in adjacent countries (Russia, Japan, Canada, Mexico) and in the...Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus)
Available here are tracking data of Tundra Swans, a species that nests in coastal areas throughout Alaska and winters across a broad area of North America from the Pacific to Atlantic coasts. These data were collected to better understand the timing and patterns of migratory movements and seasonal use of habitats in breeding, wintering, and migratory areas of North America.Avian Influenza Research
Since 2006, the USGS Alaska Science Center has been part of the State and Federal interagency team for the detection and response to highly pathogenic (HPAI) viruses in North America. Avian influenza or "bird flu" is a viral disease that primarily infects domestic poultry and wild birds. Avian influenza viruses are naturally occurring in wild birds such as ducks, geese, swans, and gulls. These... - Publications