The picturesque “wedding swan” can now be legally shot in California year-round, without a license.
Under a bill signed into law this month by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the mute swan has been added to the list of nongame birds that can “taken or possessed at any time.” Assembly Bill 764, by Jeff Gonzalez, R-Coachella, takes effect Jan. 1, 2026, and expires after five years.
The intent is to reduce the population of the non-native mute swan, a large, voracious and territorial bird that competes for resources with native waterfowl and other wetland species. Most of them are in the Suisun Marsh, at the east edge of the Bay Area.
Native to Europe and Asia, these are the birds most people picture when they hear “swan” — large, white, with curved necks and bright orange beaks. They were brought to the United States as pets or largely aesthetic additions to gardens and parks, and now have taken up residence in the wild.
Weighing in at 25 to 30 pounds, they are very aggressive and have been known to inflict serious injuries on humans and pets. 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.
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