The loons are waterfowl that are slightly smaller in size than the common goose. The peculiarity lies in the fact that their paws are completely not adapted for movement on the ground. Getting out to shore, the bird is forced to crawl its belly almost on the surface, but there are almost no traces of this method of movement. Therefore, the whole life of the loons takes place on the water - courtship games, food, sleep and rest. There are several types of loons - red-throated, white-necked, white-billed, but the most common of these is black-throated.
Black-throated Loon
The appearance of males and females is almost the same - the abdomen is covered with white feathers, and on top is a grayish-brown or black plumage with white glimpses. Individuals can be distinguished according to the neck pattern - each one is individual.
The pattern is not visible only during the wintering period, when the entire color of the bird turns into a more monotonous one. From the geese and ducks, the loons differ in the flight style - they are slightly stooped and bend their neck down. The wings of the birds are relatively small, against the magnitude of the same ducks, while the legs protrude backwards - they are often confused with the tail. Three front fingers of the bird are connected by a membrane. The black-throated loon has a sonorous voice - in its overflows you can hear screams and groans. In a black-throated individual, a cry is more like a crow croaking. Unfortunately, the loon is at the extinction stage, so the only chance to save the species is the Red Book. The sounds of black throat loons in the mating season sound like “ha-ha-ha-rra”, which gave it such a name.
Habitat
It should immediately be noted that confusing the loon with the eider is inappropriate. Despite the fact that the names of the birds are very similar, they belong to different orders. Yes, and birds were hunted for completely different needs - the eiders were valued for their down, and the loons were valuable "loon necks" for ladies' hats.
The bird weighs about three kilograms, striking and the length of the paws - at least 10.5 centimeters. The European black-throated loon settles on large lakes, and is attached to its habitat for many years. The bird's nest most often looks like this - a trodden platform at the very edge of the water. Sometimes the loon lays eggs in a pile of dead vegetation, which it pre-lays on an area of about half a meter wide. But provided that the nest is in close proximity to the water - so that you do not have to get to it on the ground.
Loon offspring
In a clutch, a bird does not have too many eggs - usually one or two. The colors of the eggs well mask them from predators - olive-brown eggs almost merge with the coastal vegetation. In length reach almost ten centimeters, and by weight each of them draws about 105 grams.
It is from the masonry that you can determine whose nest it is - red-throated or black-throated loon. The first egg has a lot less. Both partners incubate masonry - they succeed each other, letting their soul mate relax on the water, sleep and eat. The hatching period lasts about a month - the chick can hatch both after 25 days and after 30. The babies stay in the nest for an record short time - no more than two days. Then adults begin to accustom chicks to water. The first way looks like this - chicks climb onto the back of an adult bird and descend into the water. Very soon, you can watch how the kids swim on their own between the two parents. Carefully sheltering them from possible misfortunes.
Lifestyle
The loons are excellent swimmers. The bird does not cost anything to dive to a depth of 21 meters, while remaining under water for about two minutes. In this case, the bird folds its wings on its back, and covering feathers protect them from getting wet. The black-throated loon accelerates for a long time against the wind before breaking off the surface of the water. The life span of a bird is about 20 years. The principle of swan fidelity applies here - converging once in a lifetime, couples do not break up until their death. Overwinter birds go to the warm seas. There remain individuals of the first year of life. In the spring, the loons fly back, but it is very late when the water is already becoming clear.
Interesting changes occur with birds in winter. In the midst of frosty days, the loons begin to have a fly feather, which deprives them of their ability to fly for at least 1.5 months.
Loon Hunt
The black-throated loon is of particular value to humans. The peoples of the far North use poultry meat for food, in addition, it is not difficult to catch a loon. Often, the birds themselves get confused in fishing nets, from where it is not difficult to get them. Once, from ladies' skins (white abdomen and breast), exclusive tailor's hats were sewn by local tailors, but today this craft is no longer relevant. The black-throated loon does not like the close proximity of people - the bird dies from the dirt left after people, often the hunt begins for fun. Therefore, in some countries there is even a festival of loons. When birds arrive from the warm seas, people meet them, provide them with a snack and organize normal conditions of rest. We found out what the black-throated loon looks like. A brief description will make it clear how you can distinguish it afloat, for example, from an ordinary duck.
Loon on the water
When a bird swims, only a low-faced head, a small part of the back and a slightly arched neck are visible on the surface - the landing of this bird is quite low. If the bird begins to worry, it plunges into the water even deeper, eventually leaving only the head and a small area of the neck above the water surface.
With a strong fright, she simply dives under the water, waiting there for quite a while, until the danger passes. The black-throated loon easily moves underwater - as if released cork in one minute, it can cover a distance of 500 meters. This saves her from numerous hunters who confuse a bird with a duck and wait for it to emerge in the same place.
A little more about the black throat loon
Unfortunately, individuals of this species remain less and less. Lakes dry up, nature clogs with human hands - all this contributes to the fact that birds have to look for new habitats, and this is a constant risk to which the black-throated loon is exposed. The Red Book prohibits the hunting of these [birds, but it stops people a little. According to the latest data, the number of birds decreased many times, in some places they disappeared forever. Nowadays, black-throated loons can be found quite rarely - the bird tries to settle in the wilderness, away from the human eye, mainly on large forest lakes. For example, in the Krasnodar Territory, this bird is especially registered - in total there are about 500 individuals, which is a record low number for the most common type of loon.