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

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