BIRD BEATS THE HOUSE
Rare loon halts fountain show at Bellagio Las Vegas
The Bellagio in Las Vegas is accustomed to high-flying visitors, but the famed hotel was not prepared for this one.
The iconic resort and casino was forced to halt its world-famous fountain show on Tuesday night when one of the nation’s rarest birds, a yellow-billed loon, was spotted swimming in Lake Bellagio.
“We are happy to welcome the most exclusive guests,” the Bellagio wrote on X.
The Bellagio added that it switched off its dancing fountains as it worked with state wildlife officials to rescue the special feathered tourist.
The eye-catching bird with distinctive black-and-white plumage is an international species of concern that is considered to be “one of the 10 rarest birds that regularly breed on the mainland US,” according to the National Park Service.
Initially, the hotel and casino’s operator, MGM Resorts, said the fountain display would continue as planned on Tuesday because the juvenile loon appeared unbothered, but a spokesperson later said the show had been put on pause, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Shelter from the storm
Birders concerned for the loon’s safety called the Nevada Department of Wildlife’s Southern Nevada office asking the agency to step in, spokesperson Doug Nielsen said.
The bird, which is more common to the Arctic, likely sought shelter from a storm, Nielsen said, noting that it isn’t uncommon for migratory birds to visit the valley.
Early Wednesday morning, wildlife officials safely captured the loon and released it in a “more suitable and remote location where it has space, food and quiet surroundings,” Nielsen told The Post in an email.
‘Off course’
Nielsen added that the biologist who oversaw the loon’s relocation observed that the young bird had no visible injuries and appeared to be in good health.
“Sometimes birds get a little off course in their migration; heavy winds and poor weather conditions can play a part in that,” he explained.
“The important thing at this point is the bird is where it has an opportunity to get reoriented and resume its northern migration.”