Loons
Loons are protected by federal law and may not be hunted.
Loons are protected by federal law and may not be hunted.
Minnesota State Bird: Common Loon (gavia immer)
One of the oldest bird species: The Common Loon belongs to the family
Gaviidae and to the order Gaviiformes. Four other species have been classified: Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata,
Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica, Arctic Loon Gavia arctica and Yellow-billed Loon Gavia adamsii.
Loon Quick Facts
Name: from a Norwegian word meaning "wild, sad cry".
Length: 70-90 cm (about 32 inches)
Weight: up to 5 kg (about 10 pounds)
Life expectancy: 15-30years
Flightspeed: up to 60 miles per hour
Divers: to depths of 80 meters
Appearance: Common Loons are quite beautiful birds. They have black-and-white checkered backs, a glossy black head with red-eyes & a long sharp pointed black bill. Their bellies and underwings are white and appear to have a wide white necklace around the throat. Their bodies are specialized for swimming and diving. In flight, loons are recognized by their humpbacked profile, head and neck looped low and feet pressed against the body, projecting past the tail.
Where: Showing in early to mid April on the northern lakes, the Loons return for breeding each spring, after the ice thaws. Loons are reclusive and solitary: nesting in secluded lakes. In September, loons gather on larger lakes to prepare for migrating to the warmer climate of the Gulf of Mexico and the East & West coasts of North America for the winter. The young fly with their parents to the sea, but do not return to the breeding area until they are mature, which is after about 3-4 years. Loons usually remain in larger groups on the wintering grounds.
Courtship: swimming and making short dives together.
Mostly monogamous & territorial birds: During breeding season small lakes can accommodate only one pair of loons. Larger lakes may have more with each pair owning a section of the lake.
Nest building: Loons build their nests close to the water, with the best sites being completely surrounded by water, usually on an island, to reduce the chance that eggs are predated.
Nest materials: leaves, grass, moss, tree needles, sometimes they use clumps of mud and vegetation collected from the lake bottom to build the nest. If nothing is handy, loons will even lay their eggs directly on the mud.
Incubation: Approximately 30 days. Usually, two eggs are laid in June which hatch in July. The male and female work together in building the nest, incubation, and care of the chicks after they hatch.
Diet: Loons feed mostly on fish; prefering perch, suckers, catfish, sunfish, smelt, and minnows. Though they will also feed on frogs, snails, salamanders, leeches and vegetation. The parents feed their young for the first 6-8 weeks.
Often spending long rest periods motionless on the water, the loon is occasionally seen stretching a wing or leg, waggling a foot, or peering under the water, moving its head from side to side looking for prey. Prey sited the loon aims and dives quickly. Spending very little time on the land, they do have to pull themselves onto land to nest. Their shuffling, awkward waddle with their breast close to the ground is quite the contrast to their magnificent diving, swimming and fying capabilities. Apparently, the qualities which make loons excellent divers also make them heavy and slow for take off. Their thrashing about water take-offs not very graceful. Loons run along the surface of the water with the wind. The distance needed to gain flight dependent on wind speed. In limited wind conditions, they may run several hundred meters before they can gain enough speed to take off.
One of the most fascinating things about Common Loons is their voice. Silent in winter, Loons are most vocal from mid-May to mid-June. The voice of the loon is often heard on the northern lakes as a lone, echoing call often haunting the night with strange laughter-like calls, falsetto wails and strange yodelling, often said to symbolize wilderness and solitude.