Loons

The loons are a group of 5 species of birds representing only one genus (Gavia) and one family (Gaviidae).  Two species, the common loon and the red-throated loon, occur in eastern North America.  Loons are large aquatic birds with long bodies for diving.  They have sharp bills and long webbed feet that extend beyond their short tail.  Their bellies are submerged when swimming and they appear plump when flying.  They are clumsy when walking on land and only come ashore to nest.

Loons are seasonally monogamous.  Pair bonding displays include synchronous dives and circular swimming.  Males choose the location of the nests, which are generally built in protected areas near water, such as an island or in emergent vegetation.  Males defend territories by “yodeling.”  Other types of calls include peeps, yelps, hoots, and wails.

Four out of the 5 species of loon are considered by the IUCN to be of “least concern.”  The fifth species, the yellow-billed loon, is “near-threatened,” the main threat being over-harvesting by indigenous peoples in the Arctic.

Pacific loon

Yellow-billed loon

Black-throated loon

Red-throated loon

Common (or great northern) loon
 

Sources:

• Alderfer, Jonathan.  2006. Complete Birds of North America, pp. 58-61. National Geographic, Washington, D.C.
• All About Birds. 2011. “Loons.” http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse_tax/28/. Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Accessed June 1, 2012.
• The Birds of North America Online. 2012 “Common Loon.” http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/313/articles/introduction. Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Accessed June 1, 2012.
• National Audubon Society. 2000. Field Guide to Birds (Eastern Region), pp. 337-339. Random House, New York.
• Peterson, Roger Tory.  2010. Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America, 6^th Edition, pp. 58-59. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston and New York.