Editing Loon (section)

===Diet and feeding===
Loons find their prey by sight. They eat mainly [[fish]], supplemented with [[amphibian]]s, [[crustacean]]s and similar mid-sized aquatic [[fauna]]. Specifically, they have been noted to feed on [[crayfish]], [[frogs]], [[snails]], [[salamanders]] and [[leeches]]. They prefer clear lakes because they can more easily see their prey through the water. The loon uses its pointy bill to stab or grasp prey. They eat [[vertebrate]] prey headfirst to facilitate swallowing, and swallow all their prey whole.

To help digestion, loons swallow small pebbles from the bottoms of lakes. Similar to [[grit (grain)|grit]] eaten by [[chicken]]s, these [[gastrolith]]s may assist the loon's [[gizzard]] in crushing the hard parts of the loon's food such as the [[exoskeleton]]s of crustaceans and the bones of frogs and salamanders. The gastroliths may also be involved in stomach cleaning as an aid to regurgitation of indigestible food parts.

Loons may inadvertently ingest small [[lead]] pellets, released by anglers and hunters, that will contribute to [[lead poisoning]] and the loon's eventual death. Jurisdictions that have banned the use of lead shot and sinkers include but are not limited to [[Maine]], [[New Hampshire]], [[Vermont]], [[Michigan]], some areas of [[Massachusetts]], [[Yellowstone National Park]], [[Canada]], [[Great Britain]], and [[Denmark]].