Common Loon

Description:

This bird is a very large member of the loon family of birds. They are predominantly black with white throat patch and spots on their wings. They are equipped with large bills which they use to capture fish, their favorite prey, and webbed feet.

Habitat:

Lakes and wetlands. In North America, they summer in the boreal forest regions and winter near Florida and the Gulf Coast.

Notes:

This is the Minnesota state bird. They have four main calls, but the ones I most often hear are the wild-sounding yodelling call and the wail. I've often wake up at night in my tent in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and listen to the calls of these birds echoing off the hillsides surrounding the lakes.