--- title: "Common Loon (Gavia immer) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "A dagger-billed diver with dense bones, a wolf-like wail and legs set too far back to walk well." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/common-loon-1.webp" published: "2026-10-11" updated: "2026-10-11" --- # Common Loon (*Gavia immer*) > **Status**: Checked against 6 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: A dagger-billed diver with dense bones, a wolf-like wail and legs set too far back to walk well. > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Neo-Classical & Baroque Chamber // Meredith Monk, "Gotham Lullaby" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/4ypAhXz4tQkrdbRQ9EUszn) > **Vibe Match**: The loon's best-known call is the wail, which sounds like a wolf's howl and helps paired birds find each other, and males add a yodel. On Gotham Lullaby, Meredith Monk's voice slides and keens between registers over a rocking piano, a long call meant to carry. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Gavia immer* - **Danger Level**: Low - **Conservation Status**: Least Concern ([IUCN Red List](https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2021-3.rlts.t22697842a166327842.en)) - **Superpower**: Dense bones and rear-set feet make it a foot-powered submarine - **Habitat**: Lakes across Canada and the northern US in summer, shallow coastal waters in winter - **Diet**: Mostly fish, plus crayfish, shrimp and leeches - **Tags**: bird, carnivore, freshwater, migratory, vocalist ## Natural History & Behavior ## A Submarine With Feathers The common loon is built to sit low in the water. Its bones are dense, which makes it float low, and its big webbed feet sit on powerful legs set far back on its body. That rear-set design drives it rapidly underwater. Loons, the five species of the order Gaviiformes, are specialized divers, reaching depths of up to 60 metres and staying under for up to three minutes. This one hunts by sight, generally in water 2 to 4 metres deep, and clear water is critical to it. The design has a price on land. Its legs sit far back, and walking is difficult. Loons seldom visit land except to mate and nest. Its small wings mean it has to run a long way across the water's surface just to take off. ## Big Bird, Long Life A common loon is 70 to 90 cm long. One account reports birds from 2.7 kg to over 6.3 kg, and in Michigan males average 4.6 kg and females 3.7 kg. Males are typically 24 to 35% heavier than females. AnAge lists a maximum recorded longevity of 24.1 years in the wild. ## A Voice Like a Wolf > **The yodel** > Of the common loon's at least six calls, the yodel is the only one that differs between the sexes. Males give this abrasive, oscillating bugle to defend their breeding territory. The most recognized call is the wail, which resembles the howl of a wolf and can help paired birds find each other. Trouble inside the territory gets the tremolo, a staccato cry of distress. ## Lakes in Summer, Coasts in Winter Common loons nest on lakes from western Greenland across Canada and the northern United States (Alaska included), and a population breeds in Iceland. Winter sends them to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America, south to Texas and Baja California, and they are frequent winter visitors on Europe's western coasts. The species is also known as the great northern diver. The menu is mostly fish, with crayfish, shrimp, leeches and some aquatic vegetation also eaten. A female lays one to three eggs, usually two, and for the first few weeks the chicks often ride on a parent's back. Mercury pollution is a threat. In a study built on 18 years of measurements, the loons at highest risk from mercury produced 41% fewer fledged young than a reference group. The IUCN Red List rates the species Least Concern. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How deep and how long can a loon dive? Loons as a group, the five species of the order Gaviiformes, are specialized divers. A genome study of the common loon puts their reach at up to 60 metres deep, with dives lasting up to three minutes. *(Source: [Gayk et al. 2018]())* ### How old can a common loon get? AnAge lists 24.1 years as the maximum recorded longevity for a wild common loon, drawing on Bird Banding Laboratory records. *(Source: [AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database]())* ### What is a loon's yodel for? Only males yodel. The abrasive, oscillating bugle call defends and marks out the breeding territory, and it is the one loon call that differs between the sexes. *(Source: [Michigan Natural Features Inventory]())* ## Sources 1. [Gavia immer (common loon). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.]() 2. [Common Loon (Gavia immer). Michigan Natural Features Inventory.]() 3. [AnAge entry for Gavia immer. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database.]() 4. [Gavia immer. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T22697842A166327842.]() 5. [Gayk et al. (2018). Genomic insights into natural selection in the common loon (Gavia immer): evidence for aquatic adaptation. BMC Evolutionary Biology.]() 6. [Evers et al. (2007). Adverse effects from environmental mercury loads on breeding common loons. Ecotoxicology.]() *Published October 11, 2026. 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