What do loons eat in their summer breeding grounds?
A. Year round, loons are opportunistic foragers, feeding on fish, aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates, and once in a while plants. During the summer, the loon’s favorite food is yellow perch, but they will eat whatever is available and what they can catch. This includes trout (though trout tend to be too fast for loons) and aquatic insects like dragonfly larvae. Q. What do loons eat in their winter feeding grounds? A. During the winter loons eat, among other things, flounder, crabs, lobster, shrimp, gulf menhaden, bay anchovies, and silversides. Menhaden may be so important that it can influence loon migration. Q. Why do migrating loons frequently fly with their mouth open? A. This may allow them a greater flow of air than flying with their mouths closed. Loons frequently make their tremolo call in flight, and they always open their mouths to make this call. Q. How far (long) can loons fly at one period of time? A. Dave Evers says: To my knowledge, there is no definitive information
