Very Rare Yellow-Billed Loon Visits the Las Vegas Strip

March 7, 2024 9:49 AM

Very Rare Yellow-Billed Loon Visits the Las Vegas Strip, Hangs Out in the Bellagio Fountains. The out-of-place bird prompted the hotel to put its famed fountain show on hold before biologists captured and moved the bird—one of the country’s ten rarest—to better habitat.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (9 comments total)

moved the bird...to better habitat

As opposed to a bettor habitat.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:06 AM on March 7 [44 favorites]

Must have heard about the all-you-can-eat crab legs.

“It’s an odd thing that it would come to the Bellagio fountains, where there are so many people,” Kurt Buzard of the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve tells FOX5 News’ Justine Verastigue and Mike Allen.
posted by bgrebs at 10:07 AM on March 7 [3 favorites]

awww, I'm glad the bird has been safely removed from the threats of dissipation on offer at Bellagio.
posted by supermedusa at 10:08 AM on March 7 [1 favorite]

The bird in the first embedded tweet... is a regular, everyday duck.
posted by dobbs at 10:34 AM on March 7 [3 favorites]

Maybe he just heard that loons were common in Vegas.
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 11:21 AM on March 7 [1 favorite]

Here's a photo comparison of different stages among Yellow-billed Loons. Audubon.
posted by Brian B. at 11:25 AM on March 7 [2 favorites]

Shutting off the fountains slightly increased the water pressure on a valve in sub-basement four, disabing a sensor, setting up a chain reaction through the casino's maintainence computer system...

Now that the loon costumier had done his job it was time for the sword swallower to go to work.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:48 AM on March 7 [18 favorites]

As opposed to a bettor habitat.

flagged as offensive
posted by bq at 12:22 PM on March 7 [8 favorites]

the article references a small South American bird called a CATTLE TYRANT.

that name absolutely sent me.
posted by spacebologna at 8:03 PM on March 7 [1 favorite]