Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 26–35.8 in
66–91 cm - Wingspan
- 40.9–51.6 in
104–131 cm - Weight
- 88.2–215.2 oz
2500–6100 g
Other Names
- Great Northern Diver (British)
- Plongeon huard (French)
- Colimbo mayor, Colimbo común (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Common Loon swims underwater to catch fish, propelling itself with its feet. It swallows most of its prey underwater. The loon has sharp, rearward-pointing projections on the roof of its mouth and tongue that help it keep a firm hold on slippery fish.
- Migrating Common Loons occasionally land on wet highways or parking lots, mistaking them for rivers and lakes. They become stranded without a considerable amount of open water for a long takeoff. A loon may also get stranded on a pond that is too small.
- Loons are water birds, only going ashore to mate and incubate eggs. Their legs are placed far back on their bodies, allowing efficient swimming but only awkward movement on land.
- The Common Loon is flightless for a few weeks after molting all of its wing feathers at the same time in midwinter.
Habitat
Lake/Pond
- Breeds on clear freshwater lakes with rocky shorelines surrounded by forest; also on subarctic tundra lakes.
- Stages for migration on large lakes and rivers.
- Winters primarily in coastal marine areas near shore; also in large freshwater lakes.
Food
Fish
Fish; some other aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 2–4 eggs
- Egg Description
- Brown with dark splotches.
- Condition at Hatching
- Downy and active; leaves nest within one day.
Nest Description
A large wet mass of plant material near the surface of the lake, sometimes on top of muskrat mound. Placed along shoreline or on floating island.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Surface Dive
Pursues fish underwater, grabs with bill.
Conservation
Least Concern
Numbers decreased across the south part of the range in the early to mid-20th century, but increased in the last third of the century. Poisoning by mercury in aquatic ecosystems and by lead from fishing sinkers can be significant caues of death.The North American Loon Fund is a nonprofit conservation organization that sponsors research, management, and educational programs throughout North America in an effort to check the population decline of the Common Loon and other loon species.
Credits
- McIntyre, J. W., and J. F. Barr. 1997. Common Loon (Gavia immer). In The Birds of North America, No. 313 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.