Common loon

The great Northern diver or common loon is a bird. It belongs to the diver family of birds. Adult birds are between 70 and 90 cm in length, and have wingspans of 1.20 metres to 1.50 metres. 

The Great Northern Loon breeds in North America, Greenland, Iceland, and Scotland. This species winters on sea coasts or on large lakes of south Europe and the United States, and south to northwestern areas of Africa.

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This species, like all divers, is a specialist fish-eater.  It catches its prey underwater, diving as deep as 200 feet (60 m). Freshwater diets include pike, perch,  sunfish, trout, and bass; salt-water diets consist oinclude rock fish, flounder, sea trout, and herring.

The female lays 1 to 3 eggs on a hollowed-out mound of dirt and vegetation very close to water. Both parents build the nest, sit on the egg or eggs, and feed the young.

It is the state bird of Minnesota, a U.S. state, and as of 2024, also appears on its seal.

References

Category:Birds of North America
Category:Birds of Europe