Rare bird causes Bellagio fountains to stop on Las Vegas Strip

LAS VEGAS (FOX5/Gray News) - The rare yellow-billed loon spotted at the Bellagio fountains was captured and released in a “more suitable location,” according to wildlife officials.

According to the Nevada Department of Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation Education Supervisor Doug Nielsen told FOX5 that the loon was captured and released Wednesday morning around 9:30 a.m.

He added that the bird is in an undisclosed, remote location where it has “space, food and quiet surroundings.”

Jonathan Young, with the Nevada Department of Wildlife, said biologists worked with Bellagio hotel staff to capture the bird, which is more typically seen in coastal areas.

FILE - A crew cleans and tests the fountains at the Bellagio Casino and Hotel resort in Las... — FILE - A crew cleans and tests the fountains at the Bellagio Casino and Hotel resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 14, 2004. The Bellagio said in a social media post Tuesday, March 5, 2024 that it paused its fountains as it worked with state wildlife officials to rescue a yellow-billed loon who “found comfort on Las Vegas’ own Lake Bellagio.” (Matthew Minard/Las Vegas Sun via AP, file)(AP)

Wildlife officials believe the bird got stuck in the Bellagio fountain during the weekend wind storms without any fish to eat or enough space to fly out.

“It’s definitely a sensitive creature to capture for a lot of obvious reasons, especially in urban areas where there’s a lot of traffic and buildings and windows,” he said. “They were able to kind of coax it into a corner where they were able to get it with a hand net and then get it with their hands securely and give it a nice inspection, a little health assessment.”

Young said the young loon was not injured and was relocated to a bird sanctuary.

A yellow-billed loon swims in Lake Bellagio on the Strip in Las Vegas, Tuesday, March 5, 2024.... — A yellow-billed loon swims in Lake Bellagio on the Strip in Las Vegas, Tuesday, March 5, 2024. The Bellagio said in a social media post Tuesday that it paused its fountains as it worked with state wildlife officials to rescue a yellow-billed loon who “found comfort on Las Vegas’ own Lake Bellagio.” (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)(AP)

“It was relocated to an area not too far away, into an area where there was going to be plenty of food and plenty of space for it to take off when it’s ready,” Young described.

The Bellagio also confirmed to FOX5 that fountain shows have resumed following the bird’s relocation.

The bird’s initial landing in the fountain sparked concern among local bird experts, as the species is known to breed in the Arctic.

Kurt Buzard, with the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, told FOX5 Tuesday that the bird appears to be young and could have been blown off course during its seasonal migration. He said the usual migration pathway for yellow-billed loons takes them along the coast, where the fish they eat live.

“Once it landed here, I think that it was probably confused and a little frightened, and it just stayed out in the middle there hoping to sort of figure it out,” he predicted.

Young said the last time a yellow-billed loon was spotted in Nevada was in 2018.