There are four species of loons that exist in the northern hemisphere. The Common Loon, the Arctic Loon, the Yellow-Billed Loon, and the Red throated Loon. Loons are supreme rulers of their aquatic domain. With legs located well back on their sleek bodies, loons are superb swimmers easily capable of catching fish for food. Unlike other marine birds, loons have dense bones which permit them to dive to depths of 200 feet and remain submerged for 5 to 10 minutes.
Loons do come ashore but only to nest.
With legs positioned behind their balance point, loons have great difficulty walking or even standing. It is not unusual for loons to support some of their weight on land with their chests. The red is caused by a pigment in the retina that filters light when loons dive beneath the waters surface and allows for sight. It is impossible to determine the sex of a loon without observing its internal organs. Loons migrate south and east shortly before ice covers the lakes.