Common Loon (Gavia Immer)

Photo by Dave Kemp

Canada is home to all 5 species of loons found in the world.

 The Common Loon is the provincial bird of Ontario.

The first time I heard the Common Loon's wailing yodel, I thought I was in a different world.   I was in a canoe on a lake in Ontario's Algonquin Park.

The loud yodelling calls are delivered on water and in flight and are heard all year, but most often on the breeding grounds.

This bird is fairly common and is found across Canada, in Alaska, and even in parts of Canada's Arctic region, but is decreasing in some breeding areas in southern parts of its range (probably including Algonquin Park).

The common Loon's winter range in North America is along the eastern seaboard and south-eastern U.S. and parts of Mexico.

Fred J. Alsop III, in his Birds of Canada Filed Guide states the Common Loon is "...prone to environmental loss due to human disturbance and reduced food supply resulting from acid rain.  Some abandon nests due to human activity...although some breeding grounds protected by volunteers".

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder