Photo by Jeff Tome This trumpeter swan, named Geffroy, has been seen near downtown Warren. Geffroy is one of 1,000 or fewer trumpeter swans in eastern North America.

A large swan with yellow tags on its wings was spotted on the Allegheny River near Warren.

The swan, named Geffroy, was tagged near Toronto, Ontario last January, according to Trumpeter Swan Conservation Ontario. Trumpeter swans are the largest swan native to North America. The first report in Warren was on Jan. 9, but the swan has been seen regularly since.

He was last reported in Ontario on December 30, 2024. Ten days later, Geffroy was in Warren.

Geffroy is one of a fairly rare few trumpeter swans in eastern North America. Trumpeter Swan Conservation Ontario estimates 800 to 1,000 trumpeter swans in the east. These swans are different from the tundra swans that fly through each spring and fall. They are slightly larger, with larger bills, and a trumpet-like call that echoes through the landscape far more than the cooing calls of the tundra swan.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there were only 69 known trumpeter swans in the lower 48 states 100 years ago. It took 20 years to find another 2,000 in Alaska. They almost went extinct due to overhunting for feathers and skins, but were fully protected in the United States in 1924. Successful restoration efforts across the west focused on relocating swans to establish new breeding populations. There are now more than 20,000 trumpeter swans in Alaska and more across western North America.

They are much harder to find in North America. Ontario started breeding and relocation programs in the 1980s. Alaskan eggs were hatched and released at 53 sites in Ontario, according to Trumpeter Swan Conservation Ontario. The birds are tagged and tracked as people report the numbers on their tags. Trumpeter swans have occasionally been seen at Akeley Swamp, Chautauqua Lake or Lake Erie, but reports are sparse for this unusual bird.