Your donation goes directly to help fund initiatives within the Adirondack Park. However, because of their weight and the unique positioning of their legs, loons can’t take off from land. They must expend a lot of energy to grow new feathers and they have less energy to fight off illnesses or toxins stored in their body fat. One call is the tremolo, which a loon gives to announce its presence or when it is alarmed. All Rights Reserved. In the spring and summer months, loons breed and raise their chicks in the Adirondack Park’s freshwater lakes and ponds. It is thought that they do this so they can feed more efficiently, and don’t have to fight off predators, or other loons from their feeding space. PO Box D-2 One might think that a bird that is such a good underwater swimmer may not fly very well. How far can common loons fly in one day? The young leave the nest once hatched and are able to fly within 11 weeks of hatching. Loons can fly rather fast too. Elizabethtown, NY 12932 In the third year, they return north, but may not breed for several more years. info@adirondackcouncil.org, Albany Office Make no mistake – life on … Loons spend the winter season along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico coasts. As you can imagine, winter migration to the coast can take a toll on the loons. Loon cries are most prevalent during breeding season as pairs aggressively defend their territories. 1) Keep shorelines wild by letting native wetland plants grow. In fact, loons only go on land to mate and incubate their eggs. Loons only produce 1 brood a year. They dive well, but do not catch fish yet. By: Lisa M. Genier - Adirondack Council Program AnalystFriday, October 18, 2019. In fact, a migrating loon was tracked at 70 mph! The Common Loon is a large bird, weighing between six to 14 pounds, and has an average wingspan of 41–52 inches. So they have the ability to secrete the salt through glands near their eyes. Achieved with partners, grassroots advocacy, and YOUR support! In the summer adults have red eyes, but in the winter their eyes are brown. Protect the Adirondacks from the threat of global climate change! Their predators are diverse and can strike from all directions as they include birds like gulls, ravens, and crows, fish such as pike, and land mammals such as raccoons, weasels, and skunks. It is likely that they return to the same area each year. Food. The wail is the call that loons give back and forth to figure out each other’s location. We all get a thrill when we see a loon or hear their haunting cries. Some loons winter on inland reservoirs. There's lots we can do to help loons. In addition, environmental pollutants, like acid rain and mercury, water quality issues, and shoreline development still threaten the loons’ long-term survival. And, hoots are short calls given by family members to keep in contact with each other. Copyright © 2020 Adirondack Council. Also, during the winter, adult loons experience a full body molt and lose all their feathers, including the feathers on their wings. They are excellent indicators of water quality as they require crystal-clear lakes (which makes it easier for them to see prey underwater) with abundant populations of small fish. In the late fall, loon parents leave the juveniles on the lake as they begin their migration southward to winter on the Atlantic coastline. Website Development and VSite Content Management by: ES11, Main Office When preening, loons take oil from this gland in their bills and use it … Loons and other birds secrete oil from a gland at the base of the tail called the uropygial gland. They are strong flyers and can cover hundreds of miles in a straight flight. Loon chicks are most often eaten by eagles, muskellunge, northern pike, and snapping turtles. Common Loons are a classic bird of the North Woods lakes. As the summer progresses, the chicks grow and are ready to fend for themselves at about three months.
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