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Common Loon

Gavia immer

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernFishWetlandPlatform nestHuge · 5.0 kg
Common Loon (Gavia immer), photo 1
Photo: Art Weber/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domain
Common Loon (Gavia immer), photo 2
Photo: Trougnouf · CC BY 4.0
Common Loon (Gavia immer), photo 3
Photo: John Picken from Chicago, USA · CC BY 2.0
Common Loon (Gavia immer), photo 4
Photo: Liam Steele · CC BY 4.0
Common Loon (Gavia immer), photo 5
Photo: Art Weber/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domain
Common Loon (Gavia immer), photo 6
Photo: Trougnouf · CC BY 4.0
Common Loon (Gavia immer), photo 7
Photo: John Picken from Chicago, USA · CC BY 2.0
Common Loon (Gavia immer), photo 8
Photo: Judy Gallagher · CC BY 2.0
Common Loon (Gavia immer), photo 9
Photo: ADJ82 · CC BY 4.0
Common Loon (Gavia immer), photo 10
Photo: ImagePerson · CC BY 4.0

What the Common Loon sounds like

Sonogram of the Common Loon: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Doug Hynes · Port Joli Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Nova Scotia, Canada · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Common Loon: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma · Call · Big Bay State Park, Ashland, Wisconsin, United States · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Common Loon: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma · Song · Big Bay State Park, Ashland, Wisconsin, United States · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The adult common loon can range from 66 to 91 cm (26 to 36 in) in length with a 127 to 147 cm (4 ft 2 in to 4 ft 10 in) wingspan, slightly smaller than the similar yellow-billed loon. On average, it is about 81 cm (32 in) long and has a wingspan of 136 cm (54 in). Its weight can vary anywhere from 2.2 to 7.6 kg (4.9 to 16.8 lb). Sizes vary regionally, especially by body mass, with the smallest bodied loons on average from lower-central Canada and the Great Lakes, while westerly birds are similar or mildly larger, and loons breeding further east can appear to be significantly larger. Voice: The common loon produces a variety of vocalizations, the most common of which are the tremolo, the yodel, the wail, and the hoot. Each of these calls communicates a distinct message. The frequency at which it vocalizes has been shown to vary based on time of day, weather, and season. It is most vocally active between mid-May and mid-June.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Common Loon

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is April, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Common Loon

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 33 countries with regular records, and 6 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

United States Canada Norway United Kingdom Iceland Spain Sweden Ireland France Mexico Belgium Portugal Germany St. Pierre & Miquelon Faroe Islands Netherlands Greenland Switzerland Isle of Man Poland Denmark Czechia Italy Austria Hungary Jersey Guernsey Serbia Slovakia Bermuda Croatia Bulgaria Romania

Recorded as a rare visitor in Finland, Luxembourg, Morocco, Ukraine, Namibia, Cuba.

About the Common Loon

The common loon or great northern diver is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. Breeding adults have a plumage that includes a broad black head and neck with a greenish, purplish, or bluish sheen, blackish or blackish-grey upperparts, and pure white underparts except some black on the undertail coverts and vent. Non-breeding adults are brownish with a dark neck and head marked with dark grey-brown. Their upperparts are dark brownish-grey with an unclear pattern of squares on the shoulders, and the underparts, lower face, chin, and throat are whitish. The sexes look alike, though males are significantly heavier than females.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) Red-throated LoonGavia stellataLike the other members of its genus, the red-throated loon is well adapted to its aquatic environment: its dense bones help it to submerge, its legs—in their set-back position—provide excellent propulsion, and its body is long and streamlined. Black-throated Loon (Gavia arctica) Black-throated LoonGavia arcticaThe adult black-throated loon is 58 to 73 cm (23 to 29 in) in length with a 100 to 130 cm (39 to 51 in) wingspan and a weight of 1.3 to 3.4 kilograms (2.9 to 7.5 lb). Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica) Pacific LoonGavia pacificaBreeding adults are like a smaller sleeker version of common loon.

Side by side: Common Loon vs Red-throated Loon · Black-throated Loon vs Common Loon · Common Loon vs Pacific Loon

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