Common Loon

Look for

Winter plumage (what we see in TN): a large black-and-gray diving bird with a pointed dagger-bill, white throat, and dark neck/back with scaled-gray markings. Sits low in the water.

Summer plumage (breeding, rarely seen in TN): unmistakable — black head, red eye, black-and-white checkered back, and striped neck collar. Most TN loons have left for Canadian breeding grounds by the time they're in full breeding plumage.

Size: ~32" — goose-sized, with a long body. Heavier than it looks — up to 13 lbs.

Listen for

• Winter: mostly silent. Occasional short "kuk" calls.
• Summer (on breeding lakes): the famous tremolo, wail, yodel, and hoot — one of the most iconic sounds in North American wilderness. We don't hear these in TN — Common Loons stop calling in migration.

Where near Memphis / in TN

Deep-water lakes in winter:

• Kentucky Lake (Paris Landing, Nathan Bedford Forrest) — best bet
• Pickwick Lake (tailwaters)
• Reelfoot Lake (occasional — shallow lake is marginal)
• Center Hill Lake, Tims Ford Lake (Middle TN)
• Mississippi River (rare)

Peak December–February. Individual birds can remain through April.

Behavior

• Diving specialists — dive to 200+ feet chasing fish.
• Stay submerged up to 90 seconds.
• Swim underwater propelled by huge webbed feet.
• Solid bones (most birds have hollow bones) — density helps them sink for diving.
• Feet positioned far back on body — can barely walk on land. Must take off from water with a long running start.
• Solitary in winter — unlike grebes that flock, Loons spread out.

Story

Voice of the north woods

Common Loons are sound-symbolic of the Canadian/New England lake wilderness. Their haunting wails + tremolos evoke "the north" in American cultural imagination — they're on the Canadian one-dollar coin ("loonie") and are the state bird of Minnesota.

In Tennessee, we get them silent — they don't call in winter. If you want to hear one, you have to go to a breeding lake in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New England, or Canada.

Solid bones + deep dives

Most birds evolved hollow bones for flight. Loons went the other direction: their bones are denser and heavier, reducing buoyancy so they can dive efficiently. The tradeoff: they're awkward flyers (long takeoff runs) and can't walk on land.

The range contraction

Common Loons historically bred much further south — into Massachusetts, New Hampshire, northern Pennsylvania, and the Great Lakes. Many southern populations have declined due to lake acidification, mercury pollution, shoreline development, and loss of quiet nesting habitat.

They now winter regularly on TN reservoirs that didn't exist before TVA (Kentucky Lake, Chickamauga, Douglas). TVA inadvertently created Common Loon wintering habitat.

Winter plumage identification

Distinguishing Common Loons from cormorants + grebes in winter requires attention:

| Species | Bill | Neck | Body in water | |---|---|---|---| | Common Loon | Thick dagger | Thick | Low, horizontal | | Double-crested Cormorant | Hooked | Thick | Low, tail up | | Horned Grebe | Small pointed | Thin | Smaller, buoyant | | Red-throated Loon | Thin, upturned | Slimmer | Smaller body |

Fun facts

• Oldest known wild Common Loon: 30+ years.
• They migrate at night and use celestial navigation.
• Chicks ride on parents' backs (not in TN — on northern breeding lakes).
• Mercury accumulation in loons is a major conservation concern — they're apex aquatic predators.
• Their tremolo call is thought to convey alarm or territorial aggression.
• Population estimates: ~400,000 breeding birds in the Lower 48 + Canada.

Field notes (to add)

• Kentucky Lake wintering counts
• Photo: winter vs. breeding plumage comparison
• Audio: tremolo/wail (from northern breeding lakes)