Over 50 Years Since This Happened in Yellowstone National Park

The heaviest living bird native to North America was nearly wiped out of existence back in the 1930s due to "habitat loss and hunting," according to the National Park Service, with only a small population of about 70 surviving inside the Yellowstone National Park ecosystem at the time.

With intensive management and conservation measures, the Trumpeter Swan was able to recover with a population of over 63,000 now living in the continental United States thanks to the production of baby swans called "cygnets" that were bred inside Yellowstone National Park.

Today (Tuesday 11/16), park officials announced that four Trumpeter Swan cygnets "have fledged from Swan Lake in northern Yellowstone National Park." They hatched at the park four months ago, according to the post on the @YellowstoneNPS Twitter page.

This is the first time since 1966 this has occurred at Yellowstone National Park, according to the post.

According to the National Park Service, park managers "restrict human activity in known swan territories and nesting areas" and park scientists are "conducting studies to better determine the habitat requirements for nesting swans and the drivers for the observed local population decline."

For more information about the Trumpeter Swan, CLICK HERE.

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