Common Loon

Gavia immer

That haunting call means your message has arrived. Wilderness delivery at its finest.

Population: roughly 600,000-640,000 mature individuals globally (rising to ~780,000 total birds including juveniles during fall migration); about 94% of the global population breeds in Canada
Habitat: Large, deep (oligotrophic to mesotrophic) freshwater lakes with clear water and abundant small fish for breeding, ranging from small single-pair lakes to huge lakes hosting 100+ pairs; winters on sheltered coastal marine waters, large bays, and some inland freshwater reservoirs
Fun fact: Common Loons have solid (rather than hollow) bones and heavy bodies that let them dive deep underwater in pursuit of fish, but the same weight means they need a long open-water runway to become airborne.
Range: Breeds across Canada, Alaska (excluding tundra), the northern contiguous United States, coastal Greenland, and Iceland; winters along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America (Alaska to Baja/Gulf of California; Newfoundland to Florida/northern Gulf of Mexico) and in coastal Western Europe (North Sea, Celtic Sea, south to France and Spain)
Diet: Primarily fish (roughly 80% of diet, e.g. minnows, pike, perch, bass, trout), supplemented by crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic insect larvae, occasional frogs, and some aquatic vegetation
Size: 0.81 m
Wingspan: 1.36 m
Lifespan: 25 years

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