Birds › Loons
Common Loon
Gavia immer
28 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Easily confused with
Pacific LoonGavia pacifica
Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
Common MerganserMergus merganser
Double-crested CormorantNannopterum auritum
MallardAnas platyrhynchos
Yellow-billed LoonGavia adamsii
Arctic LoonGavia arctica
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| Pennsylvania | 60,884 |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 56,822 |
| Texas | 47,603 |
| United States | 40,807 |
| Tennessee | 28,465 |
| Indiana | 26,064 |
| Canada | 21,812 |
| Georgia | 21,182 |
| Colorado | 20,196 |
| Missouri | 17,915 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Group and habits
- National symbolAdded by a member
- Ground nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting on the ground.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Fish eaterListed by a harvested source as primarily eating fish.BIRDBASE avian traits database
Classification
| Kingdom | Animals · Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordates · Chordata |
| Class | Birds · Aves |
| Order | Loons · Gaviiformes |
| Family | Loons · Gaviidae |
| Genus | Loons · Gavia |
Study it in a deck
- Birds of British Columbia, Canada
- Birds of Centre Wellington, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of Gallatin County, Montana, United States
- Birds of Ontario
- Birds of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of Pennsylvania (Alkas)
- Birds of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Birds of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Or build your own from the species near you.
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- Traits: BIRDBASE avian traits database (CC BY 4.0)
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise Common Loon with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.