Order Oaviit 



avutormes 



Loons: Family Gaviidae 



Lesser Loon: 



Gavia immer elasson Bishop 



DESCRIPTION. "Adults in summer plumage: Head and neck velvety black, glossed 

 with green; throat and sides of neck crossed by series of white streaks; breast white; 

 back black, spotted with white. Winter plumage and young: back slaty, without 

 white spots; throat white." (Bailey) Downy young: "The young loon when first 

 hatched is completely covered with soft, thick, short down; the entire upper parts, 

 including the head, neck, chest, and sides, are dark colored, 'fuscous black' on crown 

 and back, 'fuscous' on throat and sides; only the central belly portion is white, 

 tinged laterally with grayish." (Bent) Si%e: Length 2.8-^6, wing 13.55-13.90, bill 

 1.90-3 .19. Nest: Sometimes the hollo wed-out top of an old muskrat house or a mass 

 of soggy half-rotten vegetable matter heaped up in shallow water or on the shore. 

 Eggs: i to 3, usually 2., dark olive gray, spotted with black and more or less stained 

 with brown. 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds from northern California, North Dakota, and Wis- 

 consin north to British Columbia and probably Manitoba. Winters on Pacific 

 Coast. In Oregon: Likely to be seen on any larger lake or stream, although far more 

 abundant on salt-water bas and inlets of coast. 



TOWNSEND'S NARRATIVE (I839) 1 first recorded the Lesser Loon for Oregon; 

 Newberry (1857) listed it as found on the lakes of the Cascades; Bendire 

 (1877) stated it was a probable breeder at Malheur Lake; Mearns (1879) 

 and Merrill (1888) both recorded it from Fort Klamath; Johnson (1880) 

 gave it as a casual visitor to the Willamette Valley (Multnomah, Marion, 

 and Washington Counties); and Woodcock (1902.) listed it from various 

 points in the State as a migrant and winter resident. 



Our own notes record the species from Wallowa (October 2.7), Lake 

 (November 2.0), Wasco (Columbia River, October 15), Klamath (several 

 records between September 2.2. and November 15), Deschutes (North Twin 

 Lake, April X9, one in full plumage), and Multnomah (October 17) 

 Counties inland, and from Tillamook and Lincoln (every month in the 

 year), Coos (May 5 and October 2.9), and Curry (November 18) Counties 

 on the coast. A pair remained at Devils Lake, Lincoln County, through- 

 out the summers of 1931 to 1934, inclusive, where Gabrielson observed 

 them at frequent intervals. It is probable that the species breeds in that 

 and other coastal lakes, although as yet no nests have been reported from 



1 Dates in parentheses following an author's name refer to Bibliography, p. 609. 



