The Common Loon (Gavia immer) is a highly aquatic, migratory
bird distributed across North America, Greenland, and Iceland.
The common loon is 66 cm to 91 cm in length and weighs between
2.5 kg and 6.1 kg. They have an average wingspan of 130 cm to
140 cm (McIntyre and Barr, 1997). The geographic location of the
common loon during the breeding season is in forested areas
surrounding freshwater, oligotrophic lakes in the northern
region of North America, Greenland, and Iceland. During the
winter months, the common loon migrates to coastal marine
habitats in the southern portion of North America. Migration for
the winter occurs between September and December and migration
for the summer occurs between March and June. Migration groups
can be composed of thousands of irregularly spaced individuals,
a small group of individuals, or a single individual (McIntyre
and Barr, 1997). The common loon is high specialized for
swimming and diving (Perrins and Middleton, 1985; McIntyre and
Barr, 1997). Individuals spend most