Trumpeter Swans Won’t Get Protected Status

Trumpeter swans that reside year-round near Yellowstone National Park will not be considered for listing as an endangered or threatened species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has concluded.

Advocates for the world’s largest water fowl had argued that the bird population in that tri-state region was dropping and deserved protection, in part because sports hunters are allowed to shoot them while hunting for smaller tundra swans.

But federal wildlife officials said the Yellowstone-area birds were part of a larger and thriving population of Rocky Mountain trumpeter swans.