Minnesota State Bird
Common Loon (common name)  Gavia immer (scientific name) Overview The common loon was adopted as the state bird of Minnesota in 1961. It is also the national bird of Canada, Minnesota's neighbor to the north, and the provincial bird of Ontario. Loons are familiar diving birds found throughout the cold, clear lakes of Minnesota and Canada. Large and black, with wingspans up to five feet and body lengths up to three feet, they resemble cormorants or large black-and-white mottled ducks when swimming, but have a longer body, a long thin beak, a white belly, and thin grey plumage on the head and neck. Although clumsy on land, they are high-speed flyers and excellent underwater swimmers, using their feet to propel themselves above and under water with assistance from their wings.  Loons feed on fish, frogs, and worms and eat their prey whole and headfirst. In summer, loons let loose a barrage of calls ranging from falsetto wails, yodels, maniacal quavering "laughs," short barks while in flight, and a haunting "hah-ooo-ooo" in the evening. In winter, by contrast, loons are mostly silent. Loons spend almost their entire lives on the water, only going onto land to nest near the water's edge. The male and female both build a nest mound and help incubate their eggs. Nests are made of grasses, twigs, and reeds that and are often reused from year to year. Loon chicks can swim right away, but also spend time on the backs of their parents. Close-up STATUS Official ALSO KNOWN AS Great northern diver, big loon, black-billed loon, greenhead, ring-necked loon PHYSICAL DETAILS  Male Female  Size Length to end of tail: 26-36 in (66-91 cm) Wing from flexure: 41-52 in (104-131 cm) Length of tail: 5 in (2 cm) Length to end of tail: 26-36 in (66-91 cm) Wing from flexure: 41-52 in (104-131 cm) Length of tail: 5 in (2 cm)  Weight 5.5-13.5 lbs (2.5 kg-6.1 kg) 5.5-3.5 lbs (2.5 kg-6.1 kg) BEHAVIOR The loon is a powerful swimmer that can pursue fish underwater and grab them with its unique bill, which has tines to grip the fish. It swallows its prey whole while underwater. Loons find it very difficult to walk because their feet are so far to the back of their body. They also need to expend a huge amount of effort to attain flight, running on the water for hundreds of feet before becoming airborne. HABITAT Breeds on non-freezing clear freshwater lakes with rocky shorelines in forest and tundra surroundings. Range: Breeds from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska to Iceland in the north and winters as far south as Baja California in the west and the southern tip of Florida in the east. Migration: Winters primarily along the ocean shores and large freshwater lakes of the U.S. and Canada. Conservation Status: Least concern (LC). In the early part of the 20th century, numbers decreased across the southern range of the loon as a result of pesticides, acid rain, lead poisoning, and human encroachment, but the population has rebounded over the past few decades. NESTING Nesting Period: May and June Size of Clutch: 2-4 eggs Incubation Period: 26 to 31 days Egg Description: Brown with dark irregular spots Egg Size: 3.4 x 2.1 in (86 mm-53 mm) SIMILAR SPECIES Red-throated loon, pacific loon, yellow-billed loon, cormorant TRIVIA Some experts estimate that loons have been on the planet for over 50 million years.  They can fly at more than 75 miles per hour (120 km/hr) and can also dive to depths of 250 feet (75 m) in pursuit of fish, staying underwater for almost an entire minute because they have many solid bones, unlike the hollow bones of other birds.  The loon's red eyes help it to see under water. The eerie call of the loon was described by the famous American naturalist John Muir as "loon laughter."  Loons feature prominently in the folktales of many indigenous peoples of North America. The Chippewa have a tale in which the loon created the world.  The loon appears on the Canadian one-dollar coin, colloquially called a "loonie."
	Click to enlarge an image Common Loon Common Loon Taking Flight Female Common Loon with Chicks Common Loon Distribution Map (pdf) CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Subclass: Neornithes Infraclass: Neognathae Order: Gaviiformes Family: Gaviidae Genus: Gavia Species: G. immer
	Author: World Trade Press