Skip to Content Area

All About Birds

Donate

All About Birds

All About Birds

Birds
Live Cams
Courses
Bird ID

Common Loon Range Map

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Range Map
Sightings Map

Range Map for Common Loon

Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding

Migration

Medium-distance migrant. Common Loons migrate from northern lakes to coastal ocean waters. Loons in western Canada and Alaska migrate to the Pacific Coast, from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands down past Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Loons from the Great Lakes region migrate to the Gulf of Mexico or Florida coasts. Loons from eastern Canada migrate to the Atlantic Coast.

Learn more at Birds of the World

Compare with Similar Species

Click on an image to compare

Red-throated Loon

Red-throated Loon

Yellow-billed Loon

Yellow-billed Loon

Double-crested Cormorant

Common Merganser

Looking for ID Help?

Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds.

Try Merlin Bird ID

Species in This Family

Loons(Order: Gaviiformes, Family: Gaviidae)

Red-throated Loon

Browse Species in This Family

More to Read

Living Bird Magazine
Spirit of the North: the Common Loon
Macaulay Library
I’m Here, Where Are You?: Wails of the Common Loon
K–12 Education
Top Thirteen Spooky Birds

Why are loons chasing each other across my lake?
Living Bird Magazine
Boreal Birds Need Half: A Look at the Numbers Behind the Conservation Campaign
Why do woodpeckers like to hammer on houses? And what can I do about it?

About Us

Contact Us

© 2023 Cornell University

Need Bird ID Help? Try Merlin

Search for species name or keywords

Or Browse Bird Guide by Family or Shape

Need Bird ID Help? Try Merlin

Don't miss a thing! Join our email list

The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.