LOONS—Family Gavide 
LOON; GREAT NORTHERN DIVER 
7. Gavia immer. 31 to 35 inches. 
In form, loons resemble large grebes, but their feet 
are full webbed like those of a duck; they have short, 
stiff tails and long, heavy, pointed bills. They have no 
tufts or ruffs in breeding season, but their plumage 
changes greatly. The common loon is very beautifully 
and strikingly marked with black and white above, and 
white below; the head is black, with a crescent across 
the throat and a ring around the neck. In winter, they 
are plain gray above and white below. 
Loons are fully as expert in diving and swimming as 
are the grebes. They are usually found in larger, more 
open bodies of water. 
Notes.—A loud, quavering, drawn-out “ wah-hoo-o-o.” 
Nest.—Sometimes built of sticks, and sometimes sim- 
ply a hollow in the sand or bank under overhanging 
bushes, usually on an island. The 2 eggs are brownish 
with a few black specks (3.50 x 2.25). 
Range.—N. A., breeding from northern U. S. north- 
wards; winters from northern U. S. southwards. 
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