Keith Lusher 11.04.25
A new California law will soon allow hunters to help control one of the state’s most aggressive invasive birds. Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 764, which adds the mute swan to the list of nonnative species that can be hunted with few restrictions.
The large white swans, introduced from Europe in the 1800s to decorate estates and city parks, have exploded in number across California’s wetlands and reservoirs. The population is estimated at nearly 7,000 birds, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“These birds are extremely aggressive and have been known to attack people, pets, and native wildlife,” said Andrew Engilis, curator of the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology at the University of California, Davis. “When they’re breeding, they don’t tolerate anything in their territory.”
Under the new law, licensed hunters will be able to take or possess mute swans at any time beginning January 1, 2026. Landowners and lessees may also remove the birds without a hunting license or depredation permit. The law will remain in effect until January 1, 2031, unless renewed by the legislature.
Mute swans join just two other birds, the English sparrow and the European starling, that can be taken at any time under California’s Fish and Game Code. The goal, according to state officials, is to curb the environmental damage caused by these highly territorial birds.
Engilis said the new law is both overdue and necessary. “It’s pretty alarming what we’re seeing,” he said. “The spread is uncontrolled.”
The swans were first detected in the Suisun and Napa marshes in 2007 during the state’s annual waterfowl survey. Since then, they’ve spread throughout Northern California, especially across the Sacramento and San Joaquin Delta, where researchers have observed flocks as large as 400 birds.
“They’re easy to find, they’re easy to spot, so you can get at the birds pretty easily,” Engilis said, noting that hunting has proven effective in other states. Michigan once faced a similar problem in the Great Lakes, but after allowing hunters to remove the invasive birds, the population dropped dramatically.
Mute swans feed heavily on aquatic vegetation, which puts them in direct competition with native ducks and geese. In large numbers, they can destroy wetland habitats critical to waterfowl breeding and wintering grounds.
The new law was authored by Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez of Indio and sponsored by the California Waterfowl Association. “AB 764 is a proactive, science-driven solution to a fast-growing problem,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “By responsibly managing invasive mute swans, we’re protecting the health of our wetlands for future generations.”
Not everyone supports the plan. Two groups, Friends of Animals and Social Compassion in Legislation, opposed the bill, arguing for nonlethal control methods such as egg addling and habitat modification.
Still, state wildlife officials say the change gives them another tool to protect native birds and preserve shrinking wetland habitat.
“This is a measured response to an urgent problem,” said a spokesperson for the department. “Mute swans may be beautiful, but in California’s fragile wetlands, they do not belong.”
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