daily riddle

Here is a riddle for you guys:

Though my gray beginnings are not so pretty,

I grow quite well into my beauty.

 Alabaster white or black as night,

 My grace is known world wide.

 I may make my home in the chilly Arctic,

 I'm also known well down under,

 From North America to South America I may be known to trumpet.

 As a female I may Pen my name,

 While the males may prefer to pick at a Cob.

 But near or far my beauty is known by lore and by myth.

This isn't technically a riddle but I just thought it would be fun!