Common Loon Common Loon
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How to Identify Loons


Birds of a Feather

Loon in breeding plumage
photo: Woody Hagge

Loons are unique and beautiful birds, yet sometimes they are tricky to identify. They hold their bodies lower in the water than most ducks, but one group of ducks-mergansers-- swim low and are even shaped like loons. Cormorants also have a similar profile in the water, especially compared with Red-throated Loons, which hold their bills upward in a similar fashion.

Loon Look-Alikes
All photos courtesy of the Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

Common Merganser
photo: Greg Kearns

Double-crested Cormorant
photo: Jeff Spendelow

Pacific Loon
photo: H.R.Spendelow Jr.



The Times They Are a Changing
Loon breeding plumage is spectacular. But immatures and birds in fall/winter plumage look like a completely different species. And to top it off, there are actually five species of loons, four in North America. Students along the Pacific coast may be able to see three or even four different kinds of wintering or migrant loons at the same time!

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