A common Loon and baby on a misty lake at sunrise in Canada
The common loon (Gavia immer) is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. The species is known as the great northern diver in Eurasia; another former name, great northern loon, was a compromise proposed by the International Ornithological Committee. In the spring and summer, most common loons live on lakes and other waterways in Canada and the northern United States. The summer habitat of Common Loons ranges from wooded lakes to tundra ponds. The lakes must be large enough for take-off and provide a high population of small fish. Clear water is necessary so that they can see fish to prey on. As protection from predators, loons favor lakes with islands and coves. Loons during their winter migration can be seen as far as Baja California and Texas in the south and northwestern Europe in the east. Loons usually migrate to the nearest body of water that will not freeze over in the winter: western Canadian loons to the Pacific, Great Lakes loons to the Gulf of Mexico region, eastern Canadian loons to the Atlantic, and some loons to large inland lakes and reservoirs
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Photo credit: © gary corbett / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: alamy, baby, bird, birds, calendar, calling, canada, color, colourful, common, country, creative, image, lake, landscape, loon, loons, mist, misty, morning, north, nove, ponhook, red, scotia, sun, sunrise, water
