Among birds, swans are relatively long-lived species and are also among
the most strongly monogamous, having prolonged pair and family bonds
that strongly influence their reproductive and general social behavior,
which, in combination with their beauty and elegance, contribute to the
overall high degree of worldwide human interest in them. This volume of
more than 59,000 words describes the distributions, ecology, social
behavior, and breeding biologies of the four species of swans that breed
or have historically bred in North America, including the native
trumpeter and tundra swans, the introduced mute swan, and the marginally
occurring whooper swan. Also included are 5 distribution maps, 15
drawings, 27 photographs by the author, and a reference section of
nearly 1,000 literature citations.