Captive Rearing of Loon Chicks
Translocated loon chicks are raised in specially designed aquatic pens until they are old enough to feed on their own (9-10 weeks old).
Classifications
Category
Activités d'éducation, de formation et de renforcement des capacités
Évaluation, mesures d'efficacité et apprentissage
Interventions techniques et infrastructures
Scale of implementation
National
Phase of solution
Mise en oeuvre
Enabling factors
The BRI team devised an innovative technique to monitor and feed the loons without being seen, which ensures that the chicks do not become habituated to humans during the rearing process.
Lessons learned
Feeding chicks in captivity was a trial and error process. Finally, researchers figured out that the sound of the splash made by the fish when a parent loon dropped food next to the chick was the catalyst for the chick to go after the fish.