ODNR Division of Wildlife - A to Z Species Guide - Common Loon

 Common Loon

Common Loon
The plaintive cries of common loons are well known to people who visit Canada's back country lakes in the summer. Although this is a common migrant through Ohio, only rarely is a bird heard vocalizing here. "Singing" is largely confined to the breeding grounds, which are well north of us.

 

Common Loon
Gavia immer

At-a-Glance


• Peak Breeding Activity: spring

• Incubation: 29 days

• Clutch Size: 1-3 eggs

• Young Fledge: 1-2 days after hatching

• Typical Foods: fish
Description
The common loon is a large bird, about the size of a small goose. The bill is long, tapered, very stout, and pointed.

Habitat and Habits
Common loons often migrate in loose flocks, and nearly a thousand birds have been spotted in one day along Lake Erie. As many as 400 have put down at one time on favored inland reservoirs.

Reproduction and Care of the Young
Loons nest on large ponds or lakes. The nests are built in soil or vegetation and can be up to two feet in diameter. Both the male and female incubate the eggs, and soon after hatching, the young leave the nest with the parents. They learn to fly at two or three months old.