#gaviidae

[herpsandbirds]

Common Loon or Great Northern Diver (Gavia immer), family Gaviidae, order Gaviiformes, Northern U.S.

photograph by Gary J. Wege/USFWS

[best-bird-tournament]

Gaviiformes order / Gaviidae family / Gavia genus

Which is the best bird?

Yellow-billed loon

Red-throated loon

Black-throated loon

Pacific loon

Common loon

Voting ended onJan 13

This order contains just five extant species, all in the same family and genus.

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

have you done a common loon yet? they're so pretty

Have you seen the common loon (Gavia immer)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onMar 31

[awkwardbirdsdreaming]

Bird #43 - the common loon (LC)

As if they don't look amazing enough already, loons are also known for their spooky howl, often used in films to convey a dangerous, untamed wilderness. You can actually hear it in the wild throughout North America and in parts of Europe. Outside the breeding season, loons look completely different! They're grey-ish, fading to white underparts, and have none of the beautiful white markings.

Really struggled with this one for some reason and I think I haven't done the bird justice; definitely coming back to it at some point.

[jojos-birdwatching-adventure]

Sure! These are great choices.

I also had a red-eyed vireo queued up for tomorrow, but I might as well post it with these asks. There’s a lot more red-eyed birds than I thought!

[ornithological]

red-throated diver (gavia stellata), ireland

[iridescent-wildlife]

Common Loon (Gavia immer). Family Gaviidae, order Gaviiformes.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. January 2022.

[snototter]

A red-throated loon (Gavia stellata) in Svalbard, Norway

by Nedko Nedkov