Minnesota's Icon: The Common Loon

In 2026, we celebrate the Common Loon: 65 Years as Minnesota’s State Bird. The Loon was named the State Bird March 13, 1961.

Let's dive a little deeper with this iconic bird. The striking black and white bird has solid bones helping it dive more than 250 feet for food.

Their varied and haunting calls add to their beauty. These, combined with their visual displays, help them communicate with each other. Loons have four distinct calls: the tremolo, the wail, the hoot, and the yodel.

Loon Family Photo by Robert Larson

Their legs are positioned far back on their body, which makes it awkward to move about on land. They go on land rarely, except for nesting purposes. They actually sleep on the water. Their large webbed feet serve as powerful propellers underwater.

Loons mate for life, but they don’t necessarily spend their winters together. They find each other again by coming back to the same nesting territory.

Loon eggs take about 30 days to hatch. Both the male and the female take turns sitting on the nest. The arriving loon turns the eggs.

It is the non-breeders that one sees gathered in groups early in the morning. As chicks become more independent, pairs will join these groups. A group of loons is called an Asylum.

Loons need a lake that is large enough for their takeoff. You will see them run across the water, then fly low over the water for as much as a quarter of a mile till they pick up enough speed to get aloft. They can fly at 75 miles per hour. In comparison, ducks fly at speeds of 45-60 MPH.

Loon families split up at the end of the summer. Adults leave in groups of 20 or more. Immature birds leave later and do not return the next season. They spend the next three years on the ocean and return north when they are ready to breed.