Swan Research
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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.
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Tundra Swan
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. Understanding the population status and trends of this species has been of long interest, particularly because there are distinctly different migratory populations across the state. 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. USGS research on this species has focused on their unique migratory pathways and how different factors in these migratory corridors may influence the population trend of this species.
USGS research on tundra 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 tundra swans in Alaska (see maps below) means that there are multiple factors on the wintering grounds and during migration that may influence population size and trends of this species. See the publications tab of this page for more information on USGS science related to tundra swans.
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.)
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Date published: July 13, 2017Status: ActiveWaterfowl 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...
Contacts: John M Pearce, Ph.D.
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Date published: July 13, 2017Status: ActiveAvian 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...
Demographic outcomes of diverse migration strategies assessed in a metapopulation of tundra swans
Background Migration is a prominent aspect of the life history of many avian species, but the demographic consequences of variable migration strategies have only infrequently been investigated, and rarely when using modern technological and analytical methods for assessing survival, movement patterns, and long-term productivity in the context of...
Ely, Craig R.; Meixell, Brandt W. Delineation of Tundra Swan Cygnus c. columbianus populations in North America: geographic boundaries and interchange
North American Tundra Swans Cygnus c. columbianus are composed of two wellrecognised populations: an Eastern Population (EP) that breeds across northern Canada and north of the Brooks Range in Alaska, which migrates to the eastern seaboard of the United States, and a Western Population (WP) that breeds in coastal ...
Ely, Craig R.; Sladen, William J. L.; Wilson, Heather M.; Savage, Susan E.; Sowl, Kristine M.; Henry, Bill; Schwitters, Mike; Snowden, James Molecular detection of hematozoa infections in tundra swans relative to migration patterns and ecological conditions at breeding grounds
Tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) are broadly distributed in North America, use a wide variety of habitats, and exhibit diverse migration strategies. We investigated patterns of hematozoa infection in three populations of tundra swans that breed in Alaska using satellite tracking to infer host movement and molecular techniques to assess the...
Ramey, Andrew M.; Ely, Craig R.; Schmutz, Joel A.; Pearce, John M.; Heard, Darryl J. Nesting ecology of tundra swans on the coastal Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
Nesting ecology of Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus columbianus) was studies the Kashunuk River near Old Chevak (61A?26a??N, 165A?27a??W), on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of western Alaska from 1988-2000. Annual variation in snow-melt chronology, nesting phenology, nesting density, clutch size and nest success was examined. The same area (...
Babcock, Colleen A.; Fowler, A.C.; Ely, Craig R.