Common loon

Gavia immer · The common loon is a large waterbird that breeds on lakes and other waterways in Canada, the northern United States, and southern parts of Greenland and Iceland.

Also called Great northern diver, Great northern loon.

Common loon
Photo: John Picken from Chicago, USA, CC BY 2.0
Common loon
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0
Common loon
Photo: Seney Natural History Association, CC BY-SA 2.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderGaviiformes
FamilyGaviidae
GenusGavia
SpeciesGavia immer

Where it lives

Lakes of Canada, Alaska and Iceland; winters on Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Fun facts

  • A common loon usually dives 4 to 10 metres for fish, but one has been recorded diving as deep as 70 metres.
  • Unlike most flying birds, the loon has mostly solid bones instead of hollow ones, which adds weight but helps it dive.
  • On land, a loon is ungainly and slides along on its belly, because its legs sit far back on its body.
  • Within hours of hatching, loon chicks start swimming with their parents and sometimes hitch a ride on a parent's back.

Play it

The Common loon was the creature in Birder on November 11, 2026. Can you identify tomorrow's from its photos? Every day brings a new creature to place from kingdom to genus, map and name.

Play today's creature or replay a past daily

Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).