Loons SWIMMING BIRDS. 



FAMILY URINATORID^E: LOONS. 

 Loon : Urinator imber. 



Great Northern Diver. 

 PLATE 78. 



Length: 31-36 inches. 



Male and Female : Head, throat, and neck iridescent green, blue, 

 and purplish. Triangular patches of black and white streaks 

 on either side of the throat, almost joining at the back and nar- 

 rowing in front. Above spotted black and white. Breast 

 streaked on sides with black and white ; under parts white. 

 Bill dark yellowish green. 



Season : Winter resident ; most common, however, in the migrations 

 September to May. 



Breeds : Northward from the northern tier of States. 



Range : Northern part of Northern Hemisphere ; ranges, in winter, 

 south to the Gulf of Mexico. 



This Loon appears here more as a wandering visitor than 

 a winter resident, for those who remain after the general 

 migration are constantly shifting about. Its plumage is 

 very rich and velvety, though, as in the case of so many 

 Water-birds which we see only in the autumn and winter, 

 the fully plumed adult males are in the minority, and the 

 more dully feathered young predominate. 



The Loon dives and swims in the same manner as the 

 Grebes. It only inhabits the interior while the lakes and 

 rivers remain unfrozen. 



Red-throated Loon: Urinator lumme. 



Length : 25 inches. 



Male and Female: Blue-gray forehead, chin, upper throat, and sides 

 of head ; crown and general upper parts dull black, with a 

 glossy greenish wash and streaked and mottled with white. A 

 triangle of rusty red on the front of neck. White below. Bill 

 black. 



Season : Winter resident ; fairly common. 



Breeds : In high latitudes. 



Eange : Northern part of Northern Hemisphere ; migrating southward 

 in winter, nearly across the United States. 

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