Common loon (Gavia immer) chicks are quick to enter the water after hatching and it’s a short window to find them hitching a ride on their parents back’s. When loon chicks are small they are a target for predators, so riding sheltered under their parent’s wings helps to keep them safe and helps to regulate their body temperature. It’s not long before they spend all their time in the water under their parent’s watchful eye.
