THE CANADIAN LOON
By: Jonathan Hickey
Info: The Canadian loon is one of the
many birds found in Canada. It is found around lakes and ponds, and
it's main diet is fish, preferably trout. Their legs are placed far back
on their body, making them powerful swimmers but, almost helpless on land.
So they rely on the water to find their source of food. Since loons have
no teeth, they ingest small pebbles which are held in their stomachs to
help grind up food.
The loons nesting area is found
next to the lake since the loon cannot travel on land. This provides easy
access and also provides a quick escape from perceived danger.
Today the
loon is one of the world's endangered species. This is due to four factors
which include :
Acid rain: high toxic levels in
lakes reduce fish stocks, which causes some loons to starve because of
this.
Shoreline Development and the use
of lakes by humans: Cottages built next to lakes displace loons from their
traditional nest sites.
Lead sinkers: when the loon ingests
pebbles they may ingest lead sinkers and be poisoned by lead.
Nest predators: Predation of eggs
is natural and has always happened to loons.
Back