LOONS Family Gavidae 

 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 (3.50x2.25). 



Range. N. A., breeding from northern U. S. north- 

 wards; winters from northern U. S. southwards. 



