Two species of swan are regularly found in Utah, tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) and trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator). Tundra swans are hunted during the fall migration period. Trumpeter swans are occasional visitors to Utah during the same migration period, and are at risk of being harvested during the swan hunt. In my thesis, I evaluated height and velocity of foraging flights for both species of swans and identified characteristics of Utah swan hunters to determine relative vulnerability of the two swan species. 

I applied flight dynamics theory to 86 trumpeter and 178 tundra swan measurements. The theory predicted that trumpeter swans fly slower and lower than tundra swans, and thus may be more vulnerable to harvest. 

I surveyed a representative sample of Utah swan hunters and determined that, any swan hunter education course should emphasize identification of trumpeter and tundra swans, distance estimation, and swan hunting regulations.