Common Loon

A serene symbol of wilderness, Common Loons live in remote, peaceful locales in which humanity's impact on the globe is easily overlooked. Loons are well adapted to their aquatic lifestyle: these natural divers have decreased buoyancy caused by the density of their near solid bones (most birds have hollow bones), and their feet are placed well back on their bodies to propel the birds underwater. Loons require long stretches of open water to take off; occasionally a few are fatally trapped in constricting ice when inland lakes freeze, before migrating to their wintering grounds. Fossils of early loon relatives have been found dating back 65 million years, to the time of the dinosaurs. The word 'loon' may be derived from lom, the Scandinavian word for 'clumsy,' referring to this bird's awkwardness on land.

Gavia immer

I.D.: Sexes similar. Breeding: green-black head; stout, thick, black bill; white 'necklace'; white breast and underparts; black-and-white 'checkerboard' upperparts; red eyes.

In flight: long wings beat constantly; hunchbacked appearance; legs trail behind the tail.

Size: L 28-35 in. (71-89 cm).

Range: common breeder in the Canadian Rockies; occasional breeder in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana; spring and fall migrant throughout the Rockies.

Habitat: large wetlands and lakes, often those with islands, that provide undisturbed shorelines for nesting and adequate populations of small fish.

Nesting: on a muskrat lodge, small island or projecting shoreline, always very near water; nest is built of aquatic vegetation; pair shares all reproductive duties, including nest construction, egg incubation and rearing of the young.

Feeding: pursues small fish underwater to depths of 180 ft. (55 m); occasionally eats large, aquatic invertebrates and larval and adult amphibians.

Voice: alarm call is a 'tremolo,' often called 'loon laughter'; contact call is a long, simple 'wail' note; intimate calls are soft, short 'hoots.' Male: territorial call is an undulating, complex 'yodel.'

Similar Species: Red-throated Loon: smaller; slender bill; red throat in breeding plumage; white extends from the throat to the chin and ear region in winter plumage.

Pacific Loon: smaller; dusty gray head; a few migrate through low-elevation passes in the Rockies and are most often seen on large lakes in late fall or early spring.