Swans have white plumage — eh?
The Trumpeter Swan near the mouth of Kokanee Creek is still there. Yestermorn, it was close enough to the shore for a detailed view.
A striking feature of our subject is that its head and neck are covered with blotchy rusty stains. What has happened to a swan’s canonical snow-white plumage?
The answer lies in the iron-rich waters and mud that were ingested during foraging at the Arctic breeding grounds. It is oxidized iron that gives some feathers their rusty hue.
Our visiting Trumpeter Swan has been foraging in iron-rich mud.
