Officials have announced that they are cautiously optimistic after receiving a pleasant surprise. For a while now, the loon population has been severely threatened. In fact, this bird was on its way to extinction. Recently, however, it looks like things are looking up for this bird. After several attempts to help this bird, the species seems to be making a comeback.
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What Is A Loon And What Were Their Threats?
The loon is a type of bird. The species that dominates the population in Maine is the Common loon. According to the National Wildlife Federation, the Common loon is “a long-bodied birds” that are “an impressive swimmers and diver.” In addition to their impressive swimming skills, they also have an eerie call that they are quite famous for.
Their solid bones make them less buoyant and more effective at maneuvering through water.” Not only are they impressive swimmers, but the NWF also shares that “the loon can stay underwater for up to five minutes, its signature red eyes helping it locate prey while submerged.”
Although this bird is at home in the water, some of its main threats are there as well. Yahoo News shared that the loon population has been threatened by “the fishing industry, and previously also the coal industry, leading to elevated mercury levels in the loon’s blood.” Additionally, in more recent years, “loons have accidentally ingested fishing tackle.”
How Did These Birds Make Their Comeback Rather Than Going Extinct?
With all those factors, what helped these birds make a comeback rather than go extinct? Simply put, it was the hard work and dedication of people. Once the declining populations were brought to the officials’ attention, they decided to act. Phys.org shared that “Maine lawmakers have attempted to grow the population of the loons with bands on lead fishing tackle that the birds sometimes accidentally swallow.”
Additionally, there are now “laws that limit boat speeds,” which have “helped because they prevent boat wakes from washing out nests.” With these new bans in place, the loon population has been on the rise for the last two years. However, conservationists remain just “cautiously optimistic.” While these numbers are definitely exciting to see, they want to make sure that this comeback is valid before fully celebrating.
