Proposed tundra swan hunting season on Prairies prompts concern from hunter

The federal government is considering a proposal to establish a new hunting season for tundra swans in the Prairie provinces — a move that one hunter says could endanger trumpeter swans, a similar-looking, sensitive species.

Proposed changes to Canada's migratory bird regulations would create a new tundra swan hunting season in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Tundra swans are hunted in a handful of U.S. states, but in Canada they're currently a protected species at the federal level.

David Duncan, a hunter and retired biologist, says such a hunt could lead to people mistakenly shooting trumpeter swans, a sensitive species that can't be hunted anywhere in North America.

That's because, in addition to the habitats of the two species tending to overlap, the birds look incredibly similar.

"A good bird watcher can tell the difference between the swans, but ... most hunters wouldn't be able to tell the difference," Duncan said.

That's especially true when the swans are flying overhead, making it hard to get a good look at their bill or other defining characteristics like their size, he said.

Duncan worked with swans during his time as a biologist, including as part of the federal government's Canadian Wildlife Service, which is where the hunting season suggestion comes from.

Trumpeter swans in Alberta were once considered a threatened species under the province's Wildlife Act. They're now considered a species of special concern, following dramatic population increases across North America over the past several decades.

"When you hunt the tundra swan ... you will accidentally shoot a few trumpeter swans," said Duncan.

Tundra and trumpeter swans are the only swan species native to Canada. A third species found in Canada, the mute swan, is native to the Old World and is considered an invasive species.

With a wingspan of up to 10 feet, trumpeter swans are among the world's largest waterfowl species. They're also considered the heaviest bird native to North America, weighing in at up to 30 pounds.

Wildlife biologist Frédérique Tremblay, who works for the Canadian Wildlife Service, says the federal government has taken the potential threat to trumpeter swans into consideration.

Tremblay pointed to data from the United States, where the populations of tundra and trumpeters swans also overlap, which shows the number of accidental killings of the wrong species is "very low."