Common Loon
Common Loon
Breeding adult
- Large and heavy-bodied with thick neck
- Distinctive black and white pattern on back and wings
- Partial white collar on neck
- Glossy black head with thick, black bill, and red eyes
- © Josh Merrill, MN, Gunflint Lake, July 2009
Common Loon
Breeding adult
- Heavy-bodied waterbird with dagger-like, black bill
- Thick black neck with white-patterned collar
- Black and white patterned back
- Glossy black head
- © J.M. Kosciw, ON, Battersea, August 2009
Common Loon
Breeding adult
- Large and heavy-bodied
- Small wings
- Glossy black head with thick, black bill
- Bright white belly and partial white collar on neck
- © Andy Johnson, MI, Interlochen, August 2010
Common Loon
Nonbreeding adult
- Large and heavy-bodied
- Thick neck and stout, gray-black bill
- Gray scalloped back
- White throat and chest
- © Jim Paris, NJ, Barnegat Inlet, December 2008
Common Loon
Nonbreeding adult
- Large-headed and heavy-bodied
- Thick, dagger-like bill
- Dark gray back
- Plain white throat and chest
- © Cameron Rognan, CA, Humboldt Bay, August 2006
Common Loon
Juvenile
- Large and heavy-bodied with stout, silver-gray bill
- Fine scalloping on gray back
- Partial white collar
- © Bill Lynch, NJ, Shark River Inlet, December 2010
Common Loon
Juvenile
- Large and heavy-bodied with thick neck
- Juvenile is paler and more sandy-colored than adult
- Fine scalloping on back
- Stout, pale gray bill
- © Jim Paris, NJ, Barnegat Inlet, January 2011
Common Loon
Breeding adult on nest
- Distinctive black and white markings on back and wings
- Glossy black head with glowing red eyes
- Dagger-like black bill
- Violet sheen on glossy black neck with partial white collar
- © Mike Wisnicki, BC, Bonaparte Lake, May 2011
Common Loon
Breeding adult with chick
- Heavy-bodied with dagger-like, black bill
- Adult distinctive with black and white markings
- Chick fluffy dark gray overall
- © Stuart Oikawa, MB, Nopiming Provincial Park, July 2011
Common Loon
Breeding adult in flight
- Distinctive shape in flight with legs trailing behind short tail
- Neck extended with obvious, dagger-like bill
- Slender wings
- White below with solid black head
- © Andy Johnson, MI, Bass Lake, July 2009
Similar Species
Nonbreeding adult
- Smaller and more delicate than Common Loon
- Slender bill, often pointed upward
- Bright white face surrounding small, dark eye
- Distinctive white speckling on gray back
- © Brian L. Sullivan, Monterey Harbor, CA, January 2007
Immature
- Smaller and more slender than Common Loon
- Thin bill, often pointed upward
- Gray back with faint white speckling
- Dull gray neck with no obvious collar or pattern
- © Brian L. Sullivan, Moss Landing, CA, April 2007
Nonbreeding adult
- Smaller than Common Loon
- Even division between gray and white on neck
- No obvious collar mark
- Thin, dark "chinstrap" sometimes visible
- © Jim Gilbert, Deal, NJ, March 2007
Nonbreeding adult with Common Loons
- Pacific (in foreground) smaller and more slender-billed than Common Loons (in background)
- Even separation between gray and white on neck
- Thin "chinstrap" usually visible on adults
- © Jim Gilbert, Deal, NJ, March 2007
Juvenile
- Similar to Common Loon at a distance
- Hooked yellow bill distinctive
- Longer neck than loons
- No white on chest or throat
- © Bill Thompson, Provincetown, MA, November 2011