The mute swan is easily told apart from other swans by its orange bill and the prominent black, fleshy knob extending from the base of its bill to its forehead. Trumpeter habits and habitats Trumpeter swans may form pair bonds and nest as early as their second winter. But most nest when they are 3-6 years old. They mate for life and may live for 20 years or more. If one member of a pair dies, the survivor finds another mate.
Swans usually form pair bonds on their winter grounds.
The pair migrates north in the spring to nest and sometimes arrives on the breeding grounds before the ice melts. If a pair spends at least two summers nesting at the same spot, it will form an almost unbreakable attachment to the site. Large, shallow wetlands, 1-3 feet deep, with a mix of vegetation and open water offer ideal swan nesting habitat. Nests may reach diameters of 6 feet or more. Trumpeters often build their nests on top of muskrat or beaver lodges, or they pile sedges and cattail tubers into mounds.