Winged visitor puts famed Bellagio fountain show on pause in Las Vegas, hotel says

A rare bird that landed in the Bellagio Las Vegas fountain prompted the hotel-casino to put its famed water show on hold, officials said.

“We are happy to welcome the most exclusive guests,” the hotel wrote in a Tuesday, March 5, post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“The Fountains of Bellagio are paused as we work with state wildlife officials to rescue a Yellow-billed Loon, one of the 10 rarest birds in the U.S., that has found comfort on Las Vegas’ own Lake Bellagio,” the hotel wrote.

On Wednesday, March 6, the Nevada Department of Wildlife captured the errant loon and moved it to a “more suitable and remote location where it has space, food, and quiet surroundings,” the agency said in a post on X.

A video with the post shows a wildlife officer releasing the loon into a pond.

There are about 10,000 yellow-billed loons worldwide, Kurt Buzard with the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve told KVVU.

The birds are migrating to the Arctic to breed and this loon, which previously showed up at the preserve, may have gotten blown off course, Buzard said.

They are the largest members of the loon family, the National Audubon Society said. “Its great size, remote range, and general rarity give the Yellow-billed Loon an aura of mystery for many birders,” the society said.

The Bellagio Las Vegas has not posted any updates about the bird or future fountain shows.

The shows, which take place every 30 minutes, feature more than 1,000 synchronized fountains and lights set to music, the hotel said. The fountains rise as high as 460 feet.

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