Pacific Loon Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A heavy-bodied water bird with a long thick neck and a strong, pointed bill (slighter than a Common Loon’s bill). It has long, pointed wings and short legs set far back on the body.

  Relative Size

  Slightly larger and sturdier than a Red-throated Loon, notably smaller than a Common Loon.

  between crow and goose

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 22.8-29.1 in (58-74 cm)
    • Weight: 35.3-88.2 oz (1000-2500 g)
    • Wingspan: 43.3-50.4 in (110-128 cm)

  © Nigel Voaden / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Breeding adults have dove-gray heads and black upperparts marked with crisp white lines. The throat is black with sharp black-and-white lines down the sides. Crown and back of neck pale gray. The chin and throat can show a purple gloss. Eye dark red, bill and legs dark. Nonbreeding adults are dark gray-brown above with very little white feather edging; and whitish below, sometimes with a neat dark line or chinstrap across the throat. Juveniles are similar to nonbreeding adult but usually show neat pale edges to feathers.

• Behavior

  Forages by diving underwater with a slight leap forward and then pursuing prey (mostly fish). Often forages in small groups or in association with seabirds. Nests in small lakes in tundra and taiga.
• Habitat

  Nests in freshwater lakes in arctic and subarctic tundra and taiga. Winters in coastal ocean waters, bays, and estuaries. Occasionally, migrants appear in inland bodies of water, especially large reservoirs.