What does a loon look like in the winter?

In its winter plumage, the Common Loon is dark gray above with a white breast, belly, and wing linings. The bill is light gray, and the eyes dull to a deep reddish-brown.

Do loons change color in the winter?

Adult loons change into their black and white breeding plumage (or alternate plumage) from late February to late March. This happens on their ocean wintering waters just after they lose all their wing feathers in January. For the first 3 years of a loon’s life it is all gray (like an adult in winter plumage).

What happens to loons in the winter?

Loons spend the winter season along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico coasts. Some loons winter on inland reservoirs.

What color are Common Loons?

In summer, adults have a black head and bill, a black-and-white spotted back, and a white breast. From September to March, adults are plain gray on the back and head with a white throat. The bill also fades to gray. Juveniles look similar, but with more pronounced scalloping on the back.

What kind of bird looks like a loon?

Common loon look-alike birds are common mergansers, western grebes, Canada geese, double-crested cormorants, red-breasted mergansers, American coots, and several loon species, including yellow-billed loons, pacific loons, etc.

Are there different types of loons?

Common loon
Black-throated loonRed-throated loonPacific loonYellow-billed loon
Loons/Lower classifications

Do male and female loons look different?

The male is slightly larger than the female, but otherwise the two sexes look identical. Weight: Adult loons weigh 8 to 12 pounds. Color: The common loon has a black bill and a red eye. In summer it is a spotty black and white with a black/iridescent green head.

Why do loons cry at night?

The wail is frequently heard during night chorusing. The hoot is a soft, short call that is typically used for short range communication between members of a loon family unit (paired adults and their chicks). Loons may also hoot to communicate with rival loons during low-level territorial interactions.

Where do loons migrate in winter?

Common Loons migrate from northern lakes to coastal ocean waters. Loons in western Canada and Alaska migrate to the Pacific Coast, from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands down past Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Loons from the Great Lakes region migrate to the Gulf of Mexico or Florida coasts.

Are loons all black?

Adult Common Loon (male or female) Head color: The Common Loon has an iridescent black head. The male Common Merganser has a green head. Body color: The Common Loon has a black and white checkered back. The male Common Merganser has black and white plumage but has bright white sides.

What is a black bird that looks like a loon?

Double-crested Cormorants
Another diving, fish-eating bird that is sometimes mistaken for a loon is the Double-crested Cormorant. Characteristics that help to differentiate between Double-crested Cormorants and Common Loons include: Body and head shape: Double-crested Cormorants have slender bodies with a long neck.

Is there another bird that sounds like a loon?

Double-crested Cormorant Sounds.

What are the 5 species of loons?

There are five species or types of loon that can be spotted in the United States: the Red-throated Loon, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Yellow-billed Loon, and Arctic Loon. The otherworldly calls of loons punctuate the nighttime air in a chorus of mournful cries.

Do loons mate for life?

Banding studies have shown that loons do not mate for life and occasionally do switch mates or territories. When one loon dies, the remaining member of a pair will find another mate. Additionally, another loon or pair may intrude on a territory, and one or both birds could be displaced.

What’s a baby loon called?

Goose: Gosling. Grouse: Cheeper, squealer. Guineafowl: Keet. Loon: Loonlet.

What is the lifespan of a loon?

LIFE CYCLE: Loons live an estimated 20 to 30 years. Reproductive maturity is reached at or after four years. FEEDING: Yellow-billed loons feed primarily on fish, including sculpins, nine-spine sticklebacks, least cisco, and Alaska blackfish.

What are loon babies called?

Do loons call in the winter?

A long-bodied, low-slung diver. Many people consider the loon a symbol of wilderness; its rich yodeling and moaning calls, heard by day or night, are characteristic sounds of early summer in the north woods. In winter, silent and more subtly marked, Common Loons inhabit coastal waters and large southern lakes.

What other bird looks like a loon?

Are there solid black loons?

Red-throated Loon Breeding Red-throated Loons have a solid black back and a red throat whereas breeding Pacific Loons have a barred back and a black throat.

In its winter plumage, the Common Loon is dark gray above with a white breast, belly, and wing linings. The bill is light gray, and the eyes dull to a deep reddish-brown. Photo courtesy of Reigh Higgins.

Where do loons migrate to?

Loons in western Canada and Alaska migrate to the Pacific Coast, from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands down past Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Loons from the Great Lakes region migrate to the Gulf of Mexico or Florida coasts. Loons from eastern Canada migrate to the Atlantic Coast.

Do Loons molt year round?

The white feathers of the belly and wing linings are present year-round. Photo courtesy of Brian Reilly. At the end of the breeding season, adult loons begin their molt.

Are loons illegal in the US?

Unauthorized use is prohibited. Named for their clumsy, awkward appearance when walking on land, common loons are migratory birds which breed in forested lakes and large ponds in northern North America and parts of Greenland and Iceland. They winter all along North America’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts as well as in Europe and Iceland.