• Height: 3 feet
• Wingspan: Up to 4 feet
• Weight: average 9 pounds
• Males are slightly larger than females
• Plumage: In summer, loons display a pure white breast. The wings and back are black with white spots and stripes. The head is greenish black with a necklace of white stripes. Summer plumage is replaced by a dull gray in the fall, and white and brown plumage in the winter.
• Eye is ruby red, which aids in underwater navigation.
• Loons fish with their eyes. They need good water quality to see their prey.
• Loons can dive to 200 feet, but typically fish in shallow depths. An average dive lasts 1 minute.
• Loons don’t like to fly because it is hard for them to take off since they have solid bones, not hollow like many birds. But once airborne they are strong flyers, known to reach speeds of 90 mph.
• Loons eat mostly fish but will eat insects and crustaceans if stressed. Average 2 lbs. of fish a day.
• Because they can’t walk, loons build their nests a couple feet from the water.
• Loons lay eggs from mid-May to mid-June. Chicks are able to swim almost immediately.
Source: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
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