Mississippi’s Wintering
Loons
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Gavia immer
The common loon, with its exquisite breeding
plumage and yodel-like call, has come to symbolize wilderness and northern lakes to many people. But once the breeding season concludes in
Alaska, Canada and the northern U.S., loons
head south to winter along the Atlantic and Gulf
coasts. Hundreds of loons dot the bays and open
waters of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and are a
very visible part of the winter coastal landscape.
Common loons are heavy-bodied birds that sit
low in the water just offshore. They are known as
the ”great northern fishers” by birders around
the country and for good reason. They dip their
heads below the surface to visually locate fish
and then power through the water with large
webbed feet to catch their prey.
REMEMBER
The Institute for Marine Mammals Studies (IMMS) is a
non-profit organization established in 1984 for the purposes of public education, conservation, and research of
marine mammals and sea turtles in the wild and under
human care. Located in Gulfport, MS, IMMS is the
premiere organization in the Mississippi-LouisianaAlabama sub-region of the Gulf Coast with capability
and expertise to care for sick and injured marine animals. Additionally, IMMS promotes public awareness of
marine conservation issues through its involvement in
the community. IMMS encourages the public to be good
stewards of the environment and continuously work to
improve the quality of life on the Gulf Coast.
Waterfowl
“Swimmers”
Institute for Marine Mammals Studies
P.O Box 207
Gulfport, MS 39502
Phone: 228-896-9182
Fax: 228-896-9183
Email: [email protected]
Website: www. IMMS.org
This brochure is funded with qualified outer
continental shelf oil and gas revenues by the Coastal Impact Assistance
Program, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of
Prepared by Paul Nettles, 2012
Assistance provided by Mike Mashburn
the Interior through a grant award to the Mississippi Department of
Marine Resources.
References
www.seaworld.org | www.science.jrank.org |www.birds.com
www.thefalconrycentre.co.uk | www.dvrconline.org | www.fws.org
Unless noted all photos in this publication are courtesy of
www.birdweb.org
imms.org
Waterfowl
Waterproof Feathers
“Swimmers”
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“Swimmers,” commonly called waterfowl are an extremely diverse group of birds capable of exploiting a
variety of aquatic (freshwater and marine) and terrestrial habitats. These diverse environments provide a smorgasbord of food, including roots, tubers, submersed and
emergent vegetation, seeds, and small animals.
“Swimmers” have developed adaptations to survive in
these habitats. These adaptations allow different waterfowl species to intermingle in the same wetlands without
competing for the same resources. Species of waterfowl
include ducks, geese, swans, and loons.
A special oil gland called the uropygial gland (or the
preen gland) is one key physical trait that helps to
keep ducks’ feathers dry while spending most of the
time underwater. This gland, located near the base
of their tail, produces an oily substance that contains diester waxes the ducks spread over their bodies using their
beaks and heads to
make their feathers waterrepellent. Since
duck feathers resist getting saturated with water,
the birds are lighter for swimming
and flying faster,
as well as staying
warmer. Some people even suggest
that without their
uropygial gland to
render them waterproof, ducks would drown.
Common “Swimmers” of the
Mississippi Gulf Coast
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Northern Shoveler
Anas clypeata
Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
Bufflehead
Bucephala albeola
“Dabbling Ducks”
Waterfowl “Swimmer” Adaptations
Feet: Ducks have wide, strongly webbed feet that help
them to be strong swimmers and in many cases agile
divers.
Bill: A duck’s bill is typically broad and somewhat flattened to function as a more efficient food “scoop.” Many
types of swimmers have slight serrations or a “comblike” structure on the sides of the bill to help strain
water for insects and other food.
Body Shape: Ducks have a compact body that is efficiently streamlined for swimming and preserves body
heat when immersed in water. Their legs are typically
set far back on their body, which makes them awkward
on land but gives them more power when swimming.
Dabbling ducks are a type of shallow water duck
that feeds primarily along the surface of the water
or by “tipping” headfirst into the water, without
completely submerging, to graze on aquatic plants
and vegetation.
Dabbling ducks
have tiny rows of
plates along the
inside of the beak
called “lamellae,”
that let the duck
filter water from
the side of their
beaks to keep
their food inside,
similar to a whale’s baleen.
Lesser Scaup
Aythya affinis
Red-breasted
Merganser
Mergus serrator
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Blue-winged Teal
Anas discors