You will be notified by email when the transcript and captions are available. The process may take up to 5 business days. Please contact cornellcast@cornell.edu if you have any questions about this request.
Common loons are large, fish-eating birds that winter on the ocean but breed on freshwater lakes. Loons have been studied for years, but it is only in the last fifteen years that we have a large enough population of banded individuals to begin to understand the details of their behavior. Breeding territories can be founded on vacant lakes by replacing a missing pair member or by actively evicting a member of the pair. When an intruding female takes over a territory, the displaced female moves to an adjacent lake. In contrast, when the intruder is male, about 30 percent of the territorial battles are fatal. If a loon is killed, it is always the resident male, never the intruder. We don't know why there is this asymmetry in the behavior of the two sexes. But since it is the male loon that seems to select the nest site with improving reproductive success every year, this may be the reason.
Many of us know loons by their haunting vocalizations. There are three long distance calls: the wail, the tremolo, and the yodel. Each plays a role in the establishment and maintenance of the breeding territory.
Loons are at the top of the food chain and tend to accumulate toxins, like methyl mercury, in their tissues. One reason for studying loons is to see whether an increase in mercury has any effect on their reproduction or behavior. These CyberTower videos describe how this research is conducted.
This video is part 2 of 6 in the Understanding Loons series.
Thanks for writing. We will be in touch shortly to address any questions, concerns, or technical difficulties you may have.
Schedule of Future Events
There are no live broadcasts scheduled.
Email Updates
See what's new on Cornell Video and find out what's coming up next — and how you can take part. Subscribe to receive weekly Cornell Video updates via email.
Subscribe
Our hamsters have processed your subscription request and advise that the weekly update messages will contain details on unsubscribing in case you need them.
List Sent
Our hamsters have processed your request and advise that a summary has been sent to the email address entered.
RSVP to this Live Event
tdb
tbd
Enter your email below to be notified when this event begins
RSVP Successful
You should receive an email confirmation shortly. We will send you an email reminder before the show begins. You may request additional reminders for other times if you wish.
You can also add this event to a calendar of your choice
For iCal, an .ics file will be downloaded to your computer or device. You may need to take additional steps to add the event to your personal calendar.
Settings
Let us know your preferences and our accommodating hamsters will snap to it!
Follow this tbd
tbd
Enter your email below to be notified when new related videos become available.
Thanks for Your Interest
You should receive an email confirmation shortly. We will send you an email message when new related videos are posted.