California has a ballooning mute swan population. The birds are pleasing to the eye with their distinct orange beak and white plumage but are highly damaging to aquatic vegetation necessary for many sensitive native species including breeding ducks and other wetland-dependent birds.

“Mute swans are generally nonmigratory and present year-round. They are not protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act...and considered highly invasive,” according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). “Mute swans are very territorial, aggressive and do not typically intermix with other wintering waterfowl.”

First noticed in marshes close to the Bay Area in 2007, CDFW designated the non-native waterfowl as an invasive, feral species and banned residents from owning one without a permit. According to the Bay Area News Group, the mute swan population grew from 1,150 in 2022 to more than 12,000 in early 2025.

In early 2026, the California State Legislature passed a bill over the objections of animal rights groups and since signed into law asking hunters to help reduce the population. It allows anyone with a valid California hunting license to take a mute swan at any time. And it appears to be working. CDFW’s annual waterfowl breeding population survey report shows the population dropped to 7,393.

Landowners and lessees may also take or possess mute swans at any time without needing a hunting license or depredation permit.

The law covers five years until Jan. 1, 2031.

About Hunt 2 Conserve

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.

(Photo credit: Travis VanZant/California Department of Fish and Wildlife)