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Red-throated Loon : Red-throated Loon Qaqataq Have you ever listened to Red-throated loons call at night? If you have, you'll understand why we have expressions like "crazy as a loon," and "loony." The calls can only be described as weird and run the gamut from deep groans, growls, clucks, cackles, prolonged wails and shrieks, and something that sounds to me like a series of big burps. Their Yupik names Qaqataq, Qaqaq and Qucuuniq describe some of these sounds well. Listen for yourself to see what I mean. You'll find these loons (known as Gavia stellata to those who study them) during summer on rivers and lakes in much of Alaska where they are distinguished from other loon species by their small size, upturned slender bill, and handsome red throat. They are by far the most numerous and widely distributed of Alaska's loons, and also nest farther north than any other species, reaching the northernmost coast of Greenland. Although other loons require a running start on water, Red-throated loons can leap directly into flight, and it is the only species of loon that can take off from land. On a recent canoe trip down the Kobuk River I found the Red-throated loon to be one of the signature species of that river. I had never seen or heard so many of them before, even on the Lower Yukon Delta where it is also a summer resident. Their wailing, shrieking and burping often kept me listening past midnight and into the wee hours of the morning. They are truly a fascinating bird. So what else makes them fascinating, you ask. Although they are clumsy on land, they are like speeding bullets under the water. They also have a special physiology which allows them to remain there for up to 90 seconds. The reason they present such a low profile to the water when they swim is because their specific gravity is near that of water. By simply expelling air from their lungs and compressing their feathers they are able to sink slowly and ever so quietly under the water without a whisper, leaving scarcely a ripple. In this way, too, they can alter their buoyancy so they float with only their eyes and bill above the water. They are also powerful fliers, with speeds of 60 mph or more. And, like other loons, when they fly they have a streamlined upsidedown appearance, which is one of the reasons why they fly so fast. Although these loons are generally fish eaters, easily catching small trout, salmon, char, grayling and sticklebacks, they also eat aquatic insects and larvae, leeches, snails, frogs and even some plant material. Qaqataq may mate for life and their courtship displays are a wonder to behold. Both birds dip their bills rapidly up and down in the water, then splash noisily as they dive under the surface and rush rapidly back and forth past each other. Once courtship is ended, the couple both defend the nesting territory and help in the construction of the nest, which is located on shore or in shallow water. The nest is either a depression on top of a hummock of vegetation or simply a scrape on bare ground. Usually two brown-spotted olive-green to dark brown eggs are laid. Both male and female also help brood the eggs during their 24-29 day incubation period. Although the eggs do not hatch at the same time as among ducks and geese, when both young are finally shuck of the eggs and all fluffed up they leave the nest and follow their parents to water about 24 hours later. Both parents feed the young mainly insects and crustaceans for the first few days after hatching, then begin feeding them minnows. Rarely do they carry their young on their backs as do other loon species, possibly because of their smaller size. Within seven weeks after hatching the young can not only feed themselves, they are also ready for their maiden flights: They are clumsy at first, but in just a few more days they will easily match the dexterity of their parents. It is no wonder that Red-throated loons and their cousins have been around for so long. According to paleontologists, scientists who study the evolution of animals, the earliest fossils of loons go back to the Paleocene Epoch, about 65 million years ago. So they've been around for more than ten times longer than we have. Which may make them one of the oldest original forms of life still living on Earth. That's fascinating! » List of Yupik Birds

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