| The 2016–2017 Federal Duck Stamp Contest winning design shows a pair of trumpeter swans flying over a peaceful wetlands scene. Having observed them closely in the field, artist Joe Hautman describes the trumpeter swan as a study in contrast: "Not only the black-on-white appearance, but also the contrast of their mostly silent flight, with the raucous trumpeting call, and the contrast of the lightness with which they seem to float as they are landing, with the power of the wing beats that lift them back into the air." Although the trumpeter swan is no longer hunted, its appearance on the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp highlights the importance of duck stamp dollars for all migratory species and the many other birds and animals that benefit from the conservation of habitat across America. |
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| © 2016 Joseph
Hautman |
| The
2016–2017
Federal Duck Stamp Prints are offset lithographic reproductions of the winning
painting printed on
high-quality, acid-free paper with
archival fade resistant inks. Each print is numbered and personally
signed by the
artist. This portrait of the magnificent
trumpeter swan is published in four different editions: The
Collector's
Edition -
$189 Medallion
Edition - $349 Remarqued Editions: Executive - $1,049 and President's - $1,295 |
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The
Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)
The trumpeter
swan is the largest North American migratory waterfowl. They
were once common in wetlands across a broad region of the country from
Illinois
northwest to Alaska, but the large, low flying birds were easily hunted
and
nesting
habitat diminished as settlers moved across the country. By the
1880's, trumpeter swans had largely disappeared from the Mississippi
flyway, and by the 1930's, only 69 trumpeter swans
remained in the lower
48 states. Recovery
efforts in several
states
have successfully
reintroduced the trumpeters to much of their former range. Today the
estimated population of trumpeter swans in Minnesota alone is well over
10,000 birds.
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