Trumpeter swan was still capable of flight due to its bulk. The adult trumpeter swan is all white in plumage. Like mute swan cygnets, the cygnets of the trumpeter swan have light grey plumage and pinkish legs, and gain their white plumage after about a year. As with a whooper swan, this species has upright posture and generally swims with a straight neck. The trumpeter swan has a large, wedge-shaped black bill that can, in some cases, be minimally lined with salmon-pink coloration around the mouth. The bill, measuring , is up to twice the length of a Canada goose's ("Branta canadensis")
Grey-winged trumpeter subspecies of the pale-winged trumpeter, actually is closer to the grey-winged trumpeter. The grey-winged trumpeter is a dumpy, guineafowl-like bird with a long neck and legs, and short yellow chicken-like bill. It is long and in weight. The soft plumage is mainly black, but the feathers of the inner wing are grey. These are gregarious forest birds which nest in hollow trees, laying 3-4 white eggs that are incubated by all members of a group of five or more birds. When not breeding, the flocks may number 50 or more. Their food is insects and fruit, picked off the ground.