Iconic — but destructive — bird can soon be hunted year-round, new CA law says
A highly-invasive species of waterfowl can be hunted in California year-round starting in 2026, according to a new law.
Mute swans were added to the state’s “short list of invasive nongame birds…. That can be taken at any time by licensed hunters,” the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in an Oct. 20 news release.
Landowners and lessees will also be permitted to kill mute swans “at any time without needing a hunting license or depredation permit,” the department said.
The legislation “was introduced to address the growing concerns about the spread of these destructive, non-native species throughout the state,” the department said.
The two other species on the list are the English sparrow and the European starling.
What makes mute swans so destructive?
Mute swans outcompete native waterfowl species, plus they don’t typically migrate and have spread considerably since they were first found in the Suisun and Napa marshes in 2007, the department said.
“Since that time, they’ve expanded their range with the most current population estimate at 6,900 birds,” state wildlife officials said in the release.
The swans “are classified as a restricted and detrimental species” and are “regularly” reported to the department’s Invasive Species Program and Waterfowl Unit, officials said.
Because they don’t migrate, they aren’t protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act like most native waterfowl species are, officials said.
Mute swans were first introduced to North America from Europe in the mid-1800s and are “considered highly invasive,” officials said.
The species prefers “permanent and semi-permanent wetland habitat” and mostly feed on submerged aquatic vegetation.
“These habitats are limited in California and are essential for many sensitive native species as well as for breeding ducks and other wetland-dependent birds,” officials said.
Mute swans are also “very territorial, aggressive and do not typically intermix with other wintering waterfowl,” officials said.
Mute swans are the bird “most people picture when they hear ‘swan’ — large, white, with curved necks and bright orange beaks,” the Bay Area News Group reported. They typically weigh about 25 to 30 pounds, and “have been known to inflict serious injuries on humans and pets,” the outlet reported.
“The mute swan is a formidable rival to California’s most common native swan, the much smaller tundra swan, which is also differentiated by its straight neck and black beak,” the news outlet reported.
California has required a permit to import or keep mute swans since 2008, “but the wild population has still exploded” from about “1,150 in 2022 to more than 12,000” by spring 2025, the outlet reported.
The new law is set to expire on Jan. 1, 2031, according to the release.
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
