Recently, a beautiful swan has been hanging out with the other water birds at Virginia Lake in Reno. The swan seems to love having its picture taken, as it stays close to shore and seems to pose for all the interested photographers. So far, no one seems to know where this particular swan came from. This week the Reno Gazette-Journal posted a series of photographs and identified the bird as a 'Mute Swan' and conjectured that it is possibly the offspring of a pair from south Reno.

According to Wikipedia, the Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) was introduced to North America from Europe, and is referred to as "mute" because it's less vocal than other types of swan. On walks around the lake, we've seen this swan three or four times and so far, true to its name, we have not heard a single peep or honk.

There are two native swans to North America: The Trumpeter Swan and the Tundra Swan. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Trumpeter Swan is the largest waterfowl in North America with an eight foot wingspan. They mate for life and the male takes care of the nest building.

By the turn of the twentieth century, the Trumpeter Swan had been hunted almost to extinction -- the lowest count for a worldwide population dwindled to less than 70 birds -- but there were major attempts to save the species. In 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed to protect traveling birds from over hunting. The passing of the bill contributed greatly to saving the Trumpeter. Federal controls have allowed a remarkable comback: the Trumpeter's present population stands at over 16,000. Nevertheless, because of their size, all three species remain extremely vulnerable to illegal poaching.