Rare Yellow-billed Loon found tangled in fishing line near Cabrillo

A rare Yellow-billed Loon, a bird that only occasionally ventures south of Canada, was being treated at International Bird Rescue in San Pedro Wednesday after being found tangled in fishing line near the Cabrillo Beach Pier.

According to the rescue center, the loon was spotted near the pier Friday with fishing line wrapped around its wings and body, limiting its ability to move. People who spotted the bird contacted lifeguards and Marine Animal Rescue, who managed to capture and untangle it.

The bird was then taken to IBR’s Los Angeles Wildlife Center in San Pedro.

“We are incredibly grateful to members of the public who alerted rescuers to this injured and entangled bird,” JD Bergeron, CEO of International Bird Rescue, said in a statement. “Without the quick reporting and rescue, birds in crisis often succumb to these human caused injuries.”

Clinical staff at the wildlife center found that the bird had wounds on both of its wings and on the sides of its mouth. It is now recovering in a “pelagic deep-water pool,” alongside a Common Loon that was also found entangled in fishing line.

IBR officials said the Yellow-billed Loon is a near-threatened species that generally spends summers on high Arctic tundra and winters near wild northern shores. The birds “occur only in very small numbers south of Canada,” officials said.

“Saving threatened species like the Yellow-billed Loon is not only an ethical imperative but also a practical necessity for maintaining the health of our planet’s ecosystems,” according to a statement from IBR. “This work serves as a testament to our dedication to preserving the natural world for future generations.”

Donations to support the care of the bird can be made at www.birdrescue.org/donate/.

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