Common Loon
by Teresa Zieba
Title
Common Loon
Artist
Teresa Zieba
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The great northern loon (Gavia immer), is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. The species is known as the common loon in North America and the great northern diver in Eurasia.
Breeding adults have a black head, white underparts, and a checkered black-and-white mantle. Non-breeding plumage is brownish, with the chin and foreneck white. The bill is black-blue and held horizontally.
Great northern loon nests are usually placed on islands, where ground-based predators cannot normally access them.
The female lays one to three eggs on a hollowed-out mound of dirt and vegetation very close to water. Both parents build the nest, sit on the egg or eggs, and feed the young.
Loons produce a variety of vocalizations, the most common of which are categorized into four main types: the tremolo, the yodel, the wail, and the hoot. Each of these calls communicates a distinct message.
Photographed on Falcon Lake, Manitoba, Canada
Uploaded
August 5th, 2012
Statistics
Viewed 4,544 Times - Last Visitor from Cambridge, MA on 04/23/2024 at 12:45 PM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet
