The sight of a yellow-billed loon, landing gracefully on the cool waters off Alaska's northern coast, is that of a bird calmly unaware of the threats to its survival. By some estimates, fewer than 17,000 yellow-billed loons exist, making it the rarest of all loon species. Their nesting sites are scattered across millions of acres in prime oil and gas territory, and the birds are slow to re-colonize when displaced from their habitat. What's more, their fish-based diet makes them particularly vulnerable to mercury pollution and contamination from oil spills and toxic solvents used in oil drilling. In 2004, NRDC began petitioning the Fish and Wildlife Service to list the loon as an endangered species; the agency's public comment period ended in August. Visit BioGems website to learn more.