ABSTRACT
The European mute swan (Cygnus olor) is an exotic, nonmigratory species commonly seen along the Mid-Atlantic Coast and eastern Lake Michigan. The European Mute Swan was brought to North America in the early part of this century to grace estate, park, and zoo ponds. Some of these swans subsequently nested, and their progeny escaped or were released into the wild. European Mute Swans feed on rooted aquatic vegetation which grows in shallow (less than 2 m deep) tributary and impoundment waters, and they nest in the adjoining marshes. They are monogamous and territorial; mated pairs remain in a territory or a home range throughout their lives.
