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Animal Themes
Birds
Oceans
 Loons

Loons
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 3 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   8.23

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    airborne, conserve, fliers, hoot, incubate, intruders, lays, residence, runway, species, thrust, vegetation, underwater, entire, reddish-brown, shortly
     content words:    North America

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Loons   
1     Loons are gifted divers. When they dip below the surface, they hold their heads in line with their necks to minimize drag. They set their muscular, webbed feet far back from their streamlined bodies to maximize thrust underwater (but inadvertently hamper their ability to walk on land). They substitute many of their hollow bones -- a feature shared by most birds -- with solid ones, so they can sink better and faster. Thanks to all these unique traits, loons are able to remain submerged for more than a minute and dive to a depth of over 200 feet! Such accomplishments, undoubtedly, helped loons earn their nickname, diver.
 
2     Living in lakes or along shores, loons can be found in North America, Europe, and Asia. Of the five different species of loons in the world, the white-billed loon (or the yellow-billed loon, scientific name: Gavia adamsii) is the biggest. It can grow up to 36 inches long. The common loon (or the great northern diver, scientific name: Gavia immer), slightly smaller than the white-billed loon, is the national bird of Canada. Measuring about 24-27 inches in length, the red-throated loon (scientific name: Gavia stellata) is the most petite of all loons. Aside from these three, the remaining two loon species are the Pacific loon (scientific name: Gavia pacifica) and the Arctic loon (or the black-throated diver, scientific name: Gavia arctica).
 
3     Loons are strong fliers. Yet, because of their inability to travel by foot, they do not take off from the land. Rather, they run along the water's surface and use the waterway as their runway. As soon as they gain sufficient speed, they become airborne. Their top speed is about 80 miles per hour. Loons have tiny, red eyes; small, pointed wings; and strong, tapered bills. They are quite vocal, capable of making four types of sounds. The wail is to call out for their partners and offspring. The tremolo is used to voice distress and alert. The yodel, produced by male loons only, is employed to mark territory or to confront intruders. Lastly, the hoot is reserved to make their presence known.

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