Trumpeter Swans

A pair of Trumpeter Swans enjoying the warm afternoon of late October, South Pond, Lincoln Park, Chicago; 10/30/2010.

Another great water bird we saw swimming in the South Pond in Lincoln Park were a pair of Trumpeter Swans. 
As I stated in my Oct. 10 post on this blog ( http://northernillinoisbirder.blogspot.com/2010/10/trumpeter-swan.html ), Trumpeter Swans have been revived from near extinction and are now found in healthy populations in and around many of the Great Lakes.  The Zoological Society of Lincoln Park has been very active in helping the Trumpeter Swans be reestablished in Illinois. Two Trumpeter Swans were bred and released into the wild by the Zoo which was founded in 1868 when the Lincoln Park Commissioners were given a gift of a pair of these majestic swans. In 1874, the swans were joined by a bear cub, the first animal purchased for the zoo.

 Check out the link below that details information about Lincoln Park's activity dealing with Trumpeter Swans:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6209319

The Trumpeters get their names because they (both males and females) give off a loud and deep honking calls that sound like a bugle or trumpet. Sometimes they trumpet once, and sometimes twice. When two trumpeter swans greet each other they set off a great, loud display of honking and spreading their wings. All this noise is produced in its voice box - called a "syrinx." - which is so long it coils around the swans’ breast bone.