Illustration from National Geographic's Field Guide to the Birds of North America
Pacific Loon
Gavia pacifica
March 7, 1806, at Fort Clatsop, Oregon.
A small loon with a straight, slender bill. Length: 24 in (61 cm).
A harsh kok-kok-kok-kok; wailing notes on breeding grounds.
Breeds on lakes and ponds in tundra and northern forests; winters on coastal bays and inlets and on the ocean.
Breeds from Alaska east to Hudson Bay, and south to northern British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario. Winters chiefly along Pacific coast; very rare in northeastern United States.
Until recently thought to be a form of the Old World's arctic loon (Gavia arctica), the Pacific loon is well named, for nearly all of these birds winter along the Pacific coast.
