Common Loon
Gavia immer

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Gaviiformes
Family: Gaviidae
Genus: Gavia

Audio for Species

Call
Song

from Macaulay Library

Species Related Links

Additional Common Loon Pictures

Description

Length: 24-35.8 in (60.96-91 cm) Weight: 88.2-215.2 oz (2500-6100 g) Wingspan: 40.9-58 in (104-147.32 cm)

A large diving bird with long body that rides low in the water. Their bill is straight, tapers to a point, and is held horizontally when swimming on surface and in flight. Feet set far back on body for swimming, and trail behind body in flight.

In winter plumage they have gray-brown cap, forehead, nape, neck back and back, with a white face, eye ring, chin, throat, neck front and belly. There is a jagged border between white neck front and dark neck back.

Summer (breeding) plumage they have a black bill, and head. A black neck with white markings; a black back with white checkering and sotting. Their belly and chest are white.

Habitat, Range, and Feeding

Wintering and non-breeding loons generally use habitat within inland coastal waters such as bays, channels, coves, and inlets. For breeding they perfer large fresh water lakes of at least 24 hectres or 59.305 acres. Clear water is important to breeding and survival, as they hunt fish visually. Loons only go ashore to mate and incubate their eggs. The nest is a large wet mass of plant material placed perferably along an island shoreline on the lee side, the lee side of the mainland on lakes with on islands, or on a floating bog. The clutch size is 2 to 4 eggs that are brown with dark mottling.

Loons eat mainly fish, and aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates to a lessor degree.