Wild Fact #978 – The Loon Walk
Loon Photo courtesy of Lee's Photoblog at http://wildlife.aminus3.com/. Make sure you check out all his photos as they are great!
Growing up, I had the privilege of living on beautiful Kenogami Lake. One of the benefits of living on the lake was falling asleep to the incredible sounds of the common loon. I think the loon has one of the coolest bird calls that I have ever heard, however, I am not here to talk about the loon calls. Nope, today I wanted to discuss the position of the loon’s feet.
The loon’s torpedo-like body makes it look like Michael Phelps in the water; however, when it hits the land the loon looks more awkward then a waddling penguin. Throughout evolution, the loon developed its feet very far back on its body. Their feet act like oars which help them swim but make walking very difficult. In fact, while working for the Ministry of Natural Resources I had to deal with several calls about loons being stranded on the side of the highway. A lot of times, after it rains the highway has a shimmer to it that flying loons mistake for water. Once they land on the road they will be in trouble unless they can find a larger water body nearby. Generally, the only time loons will be on land is to lay their eggs. Even during that time they ensure their nests are in the grass close to the lake. Remember, if you see a loon hitch-hiking on the side of the road away from any water body, they might be in trouble. Perhaps it would be a good idea to call your local government or animal control to help out the loon and return it to the lake where it can be graceful once again.
Loon Fast Fact – Loons need a waterbody at least 10 acres in size in order to take off. The loon’s bones are solid which makes them very heavy so they need a long runway. You may have seen a loon running along the water to try and take flight.
