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Home > Coniferous Forest Animals > Common Loon

Common Loon

Common Loons, formerly known as Great Northern Loons, are migratory aquatic birds with sharp beaks and thick necks.

Common Loon Range

Common Loon Range

Common Loon

Common Loon

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Gaviiformes
Family Gaviidae
Genus Gavia
Species Gavia immer
Common Loon Bird

Common Loon Bird

Common Loon Images

Common Loon Images

Quick Information

Similar Species Red-throated Loon, Pacific Loon, Double-crested Cormorant
Other Names Loon Duck, Great Northern Diver
Size 61 to 100 cm (24 to 39 in) in length
Wingspan 122 to 152 cm (48 to 60 in)
Weight 1.6 to 8 kg (3.5 to 17.6 lb)
Color A black head, black and white checks at the back feathers, white underparts in breeding adults; brownish plumage with white chin and fore neck  in non-breeding adults, the bill is black-blue with strikingly red eyes ; the juveniles have the same plumage as the non-breeders
Distribution Found in Canada and the northern United States in spring and summer; migrate during winter and can be found in Baja California, Texas, and northwestern Europe
Habitat Lakes and other waterways; they come ashore only to nest
Lifespan Around 30 years in the wild on average
Diet They eat mainly fish, especially perch, sunfish, Atlantic Croaker and Gulf Silversides; however, if there is lack of fish or they are unable to catch it, they will feed on frogs, leeches, snails, crustaceans, insect larvae, mollusks and sometimes aquatic plants
Adaptations They have strong bones which make them less buoyant and helps in diving; a sharp  backward projection on the top of the mouth and tongue helps them in having a firm grip over their prey
Clutch Size 1 – 2 eggs
Egg Size Length: 8.8 to 9 cm, width: 5.5 to 5.7 cm
Number of Broods 1
Incubation Period 26 to 29 days
Predators Birds like gulls, ravens, and bald eagles, fish such as pike; land animals like raccoons, skunks, and weasels, bald eagles; marine mammals like sea otter
IUCN Conservation Status Least Concern
Common Loon Flight

Common Loon Flight

Common Loon on Land

Common Loon on Land

Behavior

Common loons swim underwater to catch their prey and can remain there for as long as three minutes. While in water, they use their feet for propulsion. They prefer large waterways as they need a vast stretch for take-off.

Common Loon call

They make four types of sounds, namely the Tremolo, the Yodel, the Wail, and the Hoot. Tremolo is of short and wavering nature used to signal alarm or to notify their arrival at a lake. They use it during flights only. The yodel is male loon’s claim of a territory, and it changes when the bird travels to a new area. The wail is a long call given back and forth to locate each other’s position whereas hoots are short, soft calls used for making contact with each other.

Common Loon Photos

Common Loon Photos

Common Loon Pictures

Common Loon Pictures

Breeding and Nesting

Common loons are monogamous birds that mate annually. They start breeding at two years of age, their breeding territory ranging between 60 and 200 acres. Breeding takes place ashore in nest sites, which are generally reused annually. They defend the territories physically as well as vocally, and both, male and female, take part in nest building. The nests are built with dead marsh grasses, twigs, reeds and other plants along the vegetated coasts of lakes.

Baby Common Loon

Baby Common Loon

Life Cycle

Both, male and female incubate the eggs. Chicks leave the nest after few days from hatching and sometimes ride on their parent’s back in the water. Both the parents feed and nurture the babies. In the next 2 to 3 days, the chicks are capable of swimming and diving underwater and can fly when they are 10 to 11 weeks old.

Common Loons

Common Loons

Common Loon Winter

Common Loon Winter

Interesting Facts

  • Common loons can dive more than 200 ft (61m) underneath the surface of the water in search of food.
  • They can fly at a speed of more than seventy miles per hour especially when they are migrating.
  • They are known to be awkward as their legs are placed far back on the body. They are clumsy when on their feet and are more comfortable in water than in land.
  • When they are below the surface of water, their heart slows down to preserve oxygen.
  • During migration, they sometimes land in wet highways, parking lots, or small ponds, mistaking them to be large water bodies and getting stranded since they require large areas to lift themselves.
  • Their plumage exhibits seasonal changes – black and white pattern in summer while it is plain gray above and white below in winter.

References

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_loon
  2. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Loon/lifehistory
  3. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/common-loon
  4. http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird/common_loon
  5. https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/featured-species/birds/common-loon.html

Published on August 17th 2016 by Sajal Datta under Coniferous Forest Animals.
Article was last reviewed on 5th December 2022.

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