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Loons 163

Once a chick can thermoregulate on their own, they no longer need a heat lamp and can move
outside. Younger chicks can move outside during the day, weather permitting, and be moved in
overnight. Once a chick has their white belly feathers and no access to a haul‐out, they should stay
outside overnight as well. Birds that are waterproof should do well in all weather conditions. It is
recommended to have tarp or other shelter over part of the pool in case of severe storms. This also
provides shade on sunny days. Chicks have been observed for waterlogging when left in pools dur-
ing severe thunderstorms and have done well.

Conspecific Aggression
Loon chicks in the same brood will exhibit aggressive behavior among themselves to establish a
pecking order. Loons hatched in captivity exhibit this same behavior after hatching, but the behav-
ior stops after dominance is established and all other chicks assume a submissive posture (Kenow
et al. 2014). Chicks from different broods may have an increased incidence of aggressive behavior
toward conspecifics, especially if the pool area is small, or the birds are older than a few weeks of
age. Care should be taken in introducing loon chicks more than 2 days of age apart from one
another, and consideration should be given to housing them separately if group housing fails.
However, socialization is natural and is likely important for developing behaviors and skills. Up to
2
six loon chicks have been successfully reared together from age 1 month to release in pools of 49 m
(Kenow et al. 2014). Chicks should always be approximately the same size and weight before intro-
ducing them to chick(s) from another brood.

­ Preparation­for Wild­Release

Waterproofing

Birds must be fully waterproofed to survive after release. An air bubble surrounding the loon as it
dives under water can be observed in well‐waterproofed birds. When on the surface, chicks should
be completely dry and water beading observed. No areas of the body should be wet to the skin in a
waterproof bird.

Hunting­Skills

It is important that the bird can successfully hunt on its own and maintain its body weight. Hand‐
feeding should be completely stopped and daily weights maintained or increased while the bird
only self‐feeds on live prey. If dead fish was used as the main diet, it should be switched to live fish
only for at least 2–3 days prior to release.

Age­of Release

In the wild, loon chicks are very independent by week 12 and usually make their first flight attempt
(Barr 1996). Loon chicks can be released as early as 9 weeks old if they are doing well capturing
prey (Michelle Kneeland pers. comm.), but closer to 12 weeks is more consistent with natural his-
tory. If a chick becomes very restless, is pacing, and stops eating, but is otherwise doing well, it may
be a sign it is ready for release (Michelle Kneeland pers. comm.); however, a chick that stops eating
also may be sick (Kenow et al. 2014). Use behavior and body weight to differentiate, and radiographs