Why loons toss the fish
Loons, and all other fish-eating birds that eat the fish whole, like herons, must turn the fish so it slides down their throat head first. If not, the dorsal fin on most fish will open and get caught in the bird's throat, and they will probably not be able to dislodge it. So, they kind of "slap" the fish around, which stuns the fish a bit, and turn it until the fish is in the right position. It's really amazing to watch a blue heron due this. I don't know how the bird knows that the fish is in the "right" position to swallow, but they do.
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