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bubba1819 t1_j8a7a7c wrote

Loons have very heavy bones compared to other birds and their legs are placed very far back on their bodies. These two things make it extremely difficult for them to walk on land but allows them the be fantastic divers and swimmers. Evolution is a funny thing. The difficulty of walking on land is also, in part, why loons typically nest close to the shoreline.

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philliumm t1_j8ab9m3 wrote

This is why many "no wake" zones on the lakes are in place. Loons are so vulnerable out of the water, their nests are usually immediately on the shore.

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LaChanz t1_j89ts3d wrote

When I watched Finding Dory, I said to my wife that it's too bad Disney didn't do their research on loons. The one in that was walking all over the place.

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MrLonely_ t1_j8d3owr wrote

It’s a not very fun fact tbh. Loons sometimes mistake parking lots for lakes. They than land and can’t take back off because they need a running (swimming) start. Another thing is if you see loons fishing near where your fishing don’t keep fishing, wait for them to go by, they’re going to scare the fish off anyways and you don’t want to catch a 10 lb pissed off bird.

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DidDunMegasploded t1_j8acx8g wrote

Well, it's nice to know I walk better than someone does...

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fuzzyfeathers t1_j8c0r3j wrote

that's always my go to bird trivia fact whenever a random bird fact is needed

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