Relaxing Loon call at nigh, Common Loon Call.
COMMON LOON CALLS AT NIGHT - THIS VIDEO WILL GIVE YOU CHILLS DOWN. Anyone who spends time during summer in northern lake country, the solitary call of the common loon is as much a part of the experience as fresh air.
There are a few different types of loon calls.
For most people, the call of the loon is their first introduction to the species. Loon calls have a distinct, haunting quality that has enchanted humans for centuries. In popular culture, these calls have become a symbol of the wilderness. Loons are most vocal from mid-May to mid-June. They have four main calls which they use to communicate with their families and other loons. Each call has a distinct meaning and serves a unique function.
The wail is most commonly used for long-distance communication between mated pairs of loons. Loon pairs may also wail to one another as they begin to engage with an intruding loon. During periods of high stress, such as when encountering a perceived threat to its nest or chicks, a loon may give a more frantic sounding wail. In these situations, the wail will typically have three or more syllables and may be interspersed with other calls that denote stress, such as the tremolo or the yodel. The wail is frequently heard during night chorusing.
Only male loons yodel. The yodel is typically given whenever a male loon feels threatened, including during aggressive territorial interactions with other loons, when eagles or other predators are nearby, or when a loon’s chicks or nest are closely approached by humans. Male loons often extend their necks flat over the water’s surface while yodeling in order to better project the call.
While the call of the loon is one of the most well-known characteristics of the species, it is not the only interesting aspect of their biology. When you are done listening to the loon sounds, click on other menu items to learn more about these fascinating birds.
Depending on the time of day, the loon's call ranges from a sound somewhere between a yodel and a laugh, to a plaintive wailing that can be heard for long distances across the water. The expressions "looney", or "crazy as a loon" are often related to the behavior of this large water bird. Loon calls can sound a little eerie at times but they can also be very peaceful, meditative and relaxing.
About two times larger than a mallard duck, a mature common loon sports a formal black and white appearance that is as highly recognized as its call. The loon's head and pointed bill are black and offset by startling red eyes. The neck features a collar of short white vertical stripes. The long body is checkered black and white on top and the underside is a silvery-white.
Rarely seen anywhere but on more temperate coastal areas during winter, the loon becomes hardly recognizable with a dull grey body, a dingy white throat, and brownish eyes during this season.
The loon's body is long and heavy with legs placed well to the rear, it is extremely clumsy and slow on land. Legends of First Nations people refer to the loon as the bird with a broken back. Other than to construct a nest and incubate eggs, the loon lives its entire life afloat or in the air.
But for what they lack in mobility on land, loons make up on water as powerful swimmers and highly skilled divers. Loons are known to dive to depths of 15 meters or more in search of a meal.
Though swift fliers once in the air, loons require a long splashing run to get their heavy bodies airborne. They are equally awkward at landings, slapping down at high speed and plowing water in front to stop themselves.
It's probably for this reason that alarmed loons rarely take to the air. Instead, they make themselves almost invisible by submerging their bodies until just their heads and bills are showing. When threatened further they will dive quickly and surface a safe distance away, continuing this behavior until they have frustrated the pursuer.
Courting behaviors are often raucous events that involve much splashing and frenzied running across the water but are sometimes alternated with a complete change of pace in the form of slow ballet-like displays. Nests are usually started in June and are generally constructed with pieces of floating vegetation and placed on a sheltered point directly on the water's edge so the nesting loon can quickly reach the water when threatened.
Masters at deception, loons are rarely seen near their nests. To protect the nest they desert it well before a predator arrives and distracts the intruder by appearing far out on the water.
Usually, two dark greenish or brownish eggs camouflaged with darker spots are laid and both birds take shifts on the nest, incubating for about 30 days. When hatched, young loons are thickly covered in dark brown down and can swim immediately, though they are frequently seen riding on their parent's backs during their first few weeks.
Enjoy these nature sounds and loon calls.
20 авг 2024
