Red-throated Loon: a two-minute wildlife lesson

On the Lake · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. Loons are clumsy on land, but the red-throated loon is the one loon species that can take off straight from the ground.
2. It often nests on tiny freshwater ponds, then flies off to bigger lakes or the sea to catch its fish.
3. Partners sing a harsh, rising and falling "long call" together as a duet, which is unusual for loons. The female's part is longer and softer.
4. In Scotland's Orkney and Shetland islands it is still called the "rain goose", because people believed it could predict the weather.
5. Once a year it drops all its flight feathers at the same time, and it cannot fly for three to four weeks.

The quiz

1. What can the red-throated loon do that other loons cannot?

• Dive underwater
• Eat fish
• Take off straight from land (correct)
• Fly

No other loon can lift off straight from the ground.

2. Where does the red-throated loon usually find its food?

• In larger lakes or the sea (correct)
• Only in its tiny nesting pond
• In forests
• In desert sand

It nests on small lakes but feeds in larger lakes or the sea.

3. What is special about the loon pair's "long call"?

• Only chicks make it
• It is silent
• It can only be heard underwater
• The pair often sings it together as a duet (correct)

The long call is often given as a duet, which is unusual among loons.

4. What nickname does it have in Orkney and Shetland?

• Snow duck
• Rain goose (correct)
• Sea owl
• Storm hen

People there call it the "rain goose" because they thought it predicted the weather.

5. What happens when the loon moults its wing feathers?

• It loses them all at once and cannot fly for weeks (correct)
• It loses one feather a day
• It grows a second pair of wings
• Its feathers turn bright blue

It drops all its flight feathers at once and is flightless for three to four weeks.

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