Say farewell to our state bird as the frost arrives

Let’s set the scene.

You are taking a wonderful fall morning walk. The leaves are gorgeous hues of red, orange and yellow, and they crunch below your feet. The air is brisk and cold upon your face. And then, you hear it: a low, soft call of a loon. It is such a common and comforting noise of Minnesota landscape, but what do they do when the frost begins to settle and winter is ahead?

Loons, similar to many animals in the North Central part of the United States, travel to warmer areas in the winter months. According to allaboutbirds.org, adult loons move on first. They gain their winter feathers, changing from black and white color feathers to gray-ish brown. Then, they take off for the coast.

Loons from the Great Lakes region tend to travel south to the Gulf of Mexico or to the Southeastern coast (Florida, Georgia, Alabama, etc.). What about their kiddos? The newly born loon chicks must grow in their flight feathers before they can take off. As loon.org points out, they are heavier than most water birds. They need the space and feather strength to take off. So, winter leaves them at a disadvantage since the ice limits their space to take off. Luckily, loon chicks gain their feathers generally right before the first big freeze, allowing them to follow their relatives south.

Once spring returns, so will the loons. They generally return to the same lakes that they inhabited the years before, especially since loons can live up to 25 years of age. So, let us say farewell for now to our favorite state bird, and look forward to seeing their black and white colors in springtime.