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Specializations
Adult
loons are highly specialized for living in an aquatic environment,
swimming and diving to feed on a variety of fish
and crustaceans. Their bodies are streamlined and their legs are laterally
flattened, characteristics that reduce resistance when swimming under
water. Their bones are very dense, enabling them to dive readily. However,
when flying, they must flap their wings steadily to remain airborne.
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Their webbed feet are set so far back on their heavy body
that they are virtually incapable of walking on land. Loons only come to
land to breed, incubate their eggs, or when they are gravely sick.
Loons
require a long stretch (almost a quarter-mile) of water to run on before
becoming airborne. If a loon has the misfortune to become "iced in" during
a sudden cold spell, or lands in a field, road or parking lot during rain,
fog, or a bad storm, it may be incapable of taking off, despite being
perfectly healthy.
During the breeding season,
the black back of the Common Loon is "checker boarded" with a regular
pattern of white spots, contrasting sharply with the pure white
underbelly. A "necklace" of white stripes graces the dark green/black
neck. The bill is black and the eyes are red. |
