Loons fly a thousand kilometres—yet stumble on land
Feet set far aft make loons superb underwater hunters and clumsy walkers, so they visit shore mainly to mate and nest. Satellite tags have logged single-day flights up to 1,078 kilometres. The birds’ very name—North American “loon,” British “diver”—jokes about that landlubber gait while honouring the plunge for fish.
All living species belong to genus Gavia (family Gaviidae, order Gaviiformes), duck-to-goose sized waterbirds of North America and northern Eurasia. Webbed toes and heavy, half-submerged bodies recall cormorants more than dabbling ducks; spear bills and black-and-white summer patterning finish the silhouette. Males average larger, but winter greys make species ID treacherous even for experts. Chicks moult into a second down coat before juvenile feathers—a trait shared with penguins and tubenoses inside the Aequornithes waterbird clade.
High wing loading forces most species to sprint across water into the wind to lift off; only the red-throated loon (G. stellata) can launch from land. They may live thirty years and hold breath about ninety seconds. Freshwater nesting lakes yield to southern coasts in winter; salt glands above the eyes dump filtered brine through the nostrils so ocean fish and seawater are usable at once. They hunt by sight—preferring clear water—for fish plus frogs, crayfish, and leeches, swallowing prey whole headfirst and gulping pebbles as gastroliths to grind hard parts. Lead shot and sinkers remain a poisoning risk where not banned.
Nests hug the waterline on islands or emergent plants; both sexes build and incubate about twenty-eight days, yet males alone choose the site, earning territory knowledge that boosts future chick success. Clutches are usually two eggs in May or June. Chapman University work on common loons shows pairs seldom mate for life: floaters constantly challenge owners, especially after a productive year, and about one-third of male evictions end with the owner’s death. In 2019 a Maine bald eagle necropsy found a loon’s beak had stabbed the raptor through the heart beside a dead chick—parental defence written in anatomy.
Source: Loon
