What is the Minnesota State Bird?
The common loon was titled as the official state bird of Minnesota in 1961. Common Loons are well known for their cries, yelps, and yodels. Roughly 11,000 of these exclusive birds make their summer habitats in Minnesota. Loons are large birds. They are black and white birds and have red eyes. They have wingspans up to 5 feet. Loon’s body length is up to 3 feet. Loons are inept on land but they are fast flyers and outstanding underwater swimmers.Loons can dive to depths of 90 feet in hunt of food.
State Bird of Minnesota Facts —
- Common name: Common Loon
- Scientific name: Gaviaimmer
- Habitat: Common Loons breed on quiet, remote freshwater lakes of the northern U.S. and Canada,
- Diet: Their diet consists of mostly fish, particularly perch and sunfish on northern lakes. When fish are scarce, they catch crustaceans, snails, leeches and even aquatic insect larvae
- Song and Calls: famous for their eerie, beautiful calls. Among these are the tremolo, a wavering call. The yodel is the male loon’s territorial claim. Hoots are soft, short calls given to keep in contact with each other
- Weight: 2500-6100 g
- Length: 61-91 cm
- Wingspan: 104-131 cm
- Average lifespan: 25-30 years
- Incubation period: 26-29 days
The Minnesota state bird Common Loon usually swims underwater for catching fish. It propels itself with its feet. It gulps most of its victimssubmerged. The loon has shrill, backward-pointing prognoses on the roof of its mouth and tongue that allow it to keep a steady hold on greasy fish. Loons are aquatic birds. They only goonto land to mate and hatch eggs. Their legs are located far back on their bodies.
This permitseffectual swimming but only difficultdrive on land. Loons are active swimmers. They travelveryloose in the air too. Migrating loons have been recorded flying at 70 mph. A hungry loon folks can consume a lot of fish. Biologists guess that loon parents and their 2 babies can eat about a half-ton of fish over a 15-week time. Loons are like aero planes.They need a runway for takeoff. Depending on the wind, Loons need from 30 yards up to a quarter-mile for flapping their wings and moving across the surface of the water for gainingsufficient speed for lift-off.
Loons are well prepared for their underwatertricks to catch fish. Unlike most birds, loons have concrete bones which make them less afloat and enhanced at diving. They can rapidly blow air out of their lungs and crush their feathers to eject air within their fluff, so they can plungefast and swim wildsubmerged. Once under water, the loon’s heart reduces speed to preserve oxygen. Like several young birds, youthful loons are very much on their own after the parents leave after 12 weeks. The parents leavefor migration in the fall. The juveniles are left to collect into flocks on northern lakes and make their own trip south after a few weeks. Once the youngsters reach shoreline waters on the ocean, they remain there for the following two years.
In the third year, youthful loons come back north, even though they may not rear for quite a few more years. Typically,loons are six years old when they start to breed. The oldest Common Loon on record was a female ofabout at least 29 years old, 10 months old.
The law entitling the loon as the official Minnesota state bird is Section 1.145 (State Bird) of the Minnesota Statutes, Jurisdiction, Civil Divisions, Chapter 1 (SOVEREIGNTY, JURISDICTION, EMERGENCY OPERATION, GENERAL POLCIES) Section 1.145.
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