24 THE AUD UB°O.N BU iii 
The Common Loon (Gavia immer) 
By Anna C. Ames 
The Common Loon has fittingly become the state bird of Minnesota. Should 
the land of 10,000 lakes have retained as its symbol the former state bird, 
the pretty little American Goldfinch? The wild, eerie cry of the loon is suf- 
ficient answer. That or its uninhibited, cacophonous, crazy laughter. No one 
who has ever heard the loon ever forgets its call. Loons have a variety of 
calls, yodels, tremolos, and wails. All species of loons are extremely vocal, 
especially during the breeding season and at night. 
The loon’s far-reaching cry is the dominating and characteristic sound 
of the wilderness. Lew Sarrett, forest guide, poet and university professor, 
knew personally the wild, enchanting beauty of this call and wrote of it: 
“A lonely lake, a lonely shore, 
A lone pine leaning on the moon, 
All night the water-waking cries 
Of a solitary loon.’’ 
The loon’s trembling wail is expressive of an unutterable melancholy, which 
seems an inseparable part of solemn forests and lonely lakes. 
The majestic loon has an average length of 32 to 86 inches and a weight 
of 8 to nearly 12 pounds. It is a stout-bodied bird with a short, stubby tail. 
The wings are short, pointed, and rather narrow. Once, walking along the 
Lake Superior beach at Grand Marais, Minn., I came upon two dead loons that 
had recently been shot. I found the dense, water-proof plumage soft and 
velvety on the head and neck, hard and compact on the body. In summer the 
upper parts are a glossy black, marked with numerous white spots and stripes. 
The bird has a checked collar and spotted throat. The under parts are a 
glossy white, without markineg’s. The sexes are alike in coloration. Adults have 
two moults—prenuptial and postnuptial. In the latter, all flight feathers are 
shed simultaneously. 
The bill of the loon is large, black, long, and heavy, and compressed later- 
ally. It tapers to a sharp point and has sharp cutting edges. The loons are the 
only birds whose legs are encased in the body down to the ankle joint. Its 
feet are set so far back that it cannot take flight from land, but must run 
along the water until it gets enough impetus. Consequently, the nests are 
placed where the birds can simply slip from them into water. The two large, 
olive to olive-green ege's, obscurely spotted, require 28 to 30 days of incu- 
bation, in which the parents take turns. Both feed the young, which takes 
two years to reach maturity. 
| During courtship loons indulge in an aquatic diving dance in which both 
birds run upon the water and flail it with their wings. The loon is seldom seen 
away from water. It is for the most part a fresh-water bird during the spring 
and summer. It breeds in the reeds around ponds and lakes, feeding itself and 
its young on fish, shrimp, frogs, etc. 
Loons are able to penetrate deeper into the water than any other bird. 
They are famous for sk'll in swimming and diving. Sometimes in pursuit of 
fish they go to depths of 160 to 200 feet. These expeditions may last as long 
as 15 minutes (according to some authorities), during which the birds may 
swim completely submerged for two or more miles. They often swim or rest 
with only the head above water. 
Usually loons are found singly or in pairs that keep far apart, although 
sometimes in winter they form little flocks off shore. In late summer, pairs 
