Common Loon (Gavia immer)

Paruk, James D.; Evers, David C.; McIntyre, Judith W.; Barr, Jack F.; Mager, Jay; Piper, Walter H.

doi:10.2173/bow.comloo.02

Cited by 10 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…Wintering common loons are found along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts from Newfoundland and Labrador to Mexico (Paruk et al 2021), with notable concentrations off the coasts of the Carolinas and Virginia (Haney 1990, Spitzer 1995) and along the Florida Gulf Coast (Jodice 1993). These wintering areas likely support breeding populations from across eastern Canada and the eastern United States (Paruk et al 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Geolocator tag temperature data also provided indication of major flights (characterized by prolonged drop in temperature). Flight times were used to set bounds on the distances of migration events, where maximum distance traveled was estimated as the duration of flight multiplied by an assumed flight speed of 120 kph (Paruk et al 2021). Location estimates were used to determine gross movement patterns and generalized location (e.g.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The primary breeding range of the common loon in North America includes freshwater habitats throughout the boreal forest region north to the edge of the taiga shield, while very limited breeding occurs in tundra and coastal Arctic coastal plain regions (Paruk et al 2021). It is believed that most (93%) of the breeding adult population of this species occurs in Canada during the breeding season, 6% occurs in the United States, and 1% breed in Greenland or Iceland; of the proportion that occurs in the United States, about 50% is thought to occur in the Great Lakes states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan (Evers 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While some information on movements and wintering distribution is available for adults, much less is known about the spatiotemporal pattern of movements and habitat use of common loons during their first few years of life. Pairs of adult common loons generally migrate independently of each other and their chicks (Paruk et al 2021). Juvenile loons are believed to typically remain on natal or adjacent lakes after adults have departed (Paruk et al 2021), until near freeze‐up, and have been observed departing in groups (McIntyre 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pairs of adult common loons generally migrate independently of each other and their chicks (Paruk et al 2021). Juvenile loons are believed to typically remain on natal or adjacent lakes after adults have departed (Paruk et al 2021), until near freeze‐up, and have been observed departing in groups (McIntyre 2008). Band recovery data indicate that while some common loons may remain on wintering areas year‐round their first two years (Paruk et al 2021), there is the potential for a northward movement along the Atlantic Coast during summers (Eberhardt 1984, McIntyre 1988).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Migration patterns and wintering distribution of common loons breeding in the Upper Midwest

Kenow

Fara

Houdek

et al. 2021

Journal of Avian Biology

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Identification of geographic linkages among breeding, migratory and wintering common loon Gavia immer populations is needed to inform regional and national conservation planning efforts and compensation of loons lost during marine oil spill events. Satellite telemetry and archival geolocator tags were used to determine the migration patterns and wintering locations of breeding adult and young of the year juvenile common loons captured and marked on lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Adult loons typically traveled from breeding lakes, often via larger staging lakes, to the Great Lakes (primarily Lake Michigan) and then on to wintering areas. Most radiomarked juvenile common loons utilized natal lakes or local lakes through mid‐November. Subsequently, the first fall migration of juvenile loons was generally initiated later, and more direct and quicker to wintering areas relative to adults. Among adult (n = 103) and juvenile (n = 23) loons that completed fall migration, most wintered in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), with smaller proportions wintering off the southern Atlantic Coast or impoundments in the southeastern United States. Spring migration of adults to breeding lakes was less prolonged than fall migration, with adult male loons tending to depart wintering areas earlier than adult females. Juvenile common loons migrated during their first spring from wintering sites in the GOM to summer in the Gulf of St Lawrence/Nova Scotia Coastal region. Juvenile mortality was largely linked to parasitic infection and emaciation; spring appeared to be a survival bottleneck among juvenile loons monitored in our study. Our results identify several areas where common loon conservation efforts could be directed to protect key habitats and minimize stressors during the non‐breeding period.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Migration patterns and wintering distribution of common loons breeding in the Upper Midwest

Kenow

Fara

Houdek

et al. 2021

Journal of Avian Biology

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Climate change‐associated declines in water clarity impair feeding by common loons

Piper,

Glines,

Rose

2024

Ecology

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Climate change has myriad impacts on ecosystems, but the mechanisms by which it affects individual species can be difficult to pinpoint. One strategy to discover such mechanisms is to identify a specific ecological factor related to survival or reproduction and determine how that factor is affected by climate. Here we used Landsat imagery to calculate water clarity for 127 lakes in northern Wisconsin from 1995 to 2021 and thus investigate the effect of clarity on the body condition of an aquatic visual predator, the common loon (Gavia immer). In addition, we examined rainfall and temperature as potential predictors of water clarity. Body mass tracked July water clarity strongly in loon chicks, which grow chiefly in that month, but weakly in adult males and females. Long‐term mean water clarity was negatively related to chick mass but positively related to adult male mass, suggesting that loons foraging in generally clear lakes enjoy good foraging conditions in the long run but might be sensitive to perturbations in clarity during chick‐rearing. Finally, chick mass was positively related to the density of docks, perhaps because angling removes large fishes and thus boosts the abundance of the small fishes on which chicks depend. Water clarity itself declined strongly from 1995 to 2021, was negatively related to July rainfall, and was positively related to July air temperature. Our findings identified both long‐term and short‐term water clarity as strong predictors of loon foraging efficiency, and suggest that climate change, through water clarity, impacts freshwater ecosystems profoundly. Moreover, our results identified the recent decrease in water clarity as a likely cause of population decline in common loons.

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The relative importance of cisco (Coregonus artedi) in the diets of common loons (Gavia immer) among a set of cisco refuge lakes in Minnesota

et al. 2023

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Common loon (Gavia immer (Brünnich, 1764)) foraging patterns and the relative importance of cisco (Coregonus artedi Lesueur, 1818) in the diets of loons were evaluated for the Whitefish Chain of Lakes, a set of cold-water cisco refuge lakes in Minnesota, USA. Environmental DNA metabarcoding of loon fecal samples detected 15 fish species. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens (Mitchill, 1814)), mimic shiner (Notropis volucellus (Cope, 1865)), and cisco were the most prominent prey detected across the study lakes. We observed a shift in fish species consumed, with increases in detections of mimic shiner and cisco DNA among loon fecal samples collected in August and September. In some locations, suitable oxythermal habitat became restricted throughout the summer, forcing cisco into surface waters which potentially increased their vulnerability to loon predation. Conversely, large foraging aggregations of loons were observed during late summer through fall at locations with ample oxythermal habitat and abundant cisco populations. We hypothesize that cisco were sought by loons as a high-calorie prey resource prior to migration. Conservation efforts directed at preserving water quality in important cisco refuge lakes are likely to benefit common loons through enhancement of both the forage base, for resident and migrating birds, and breeding habitat suitability.

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Common Loon (Gavia immer)

Cited by 10 publications

References 0 publications

Migration patterns and wintering distribution of common loons breeding in the Upper Midwest

Migration patterns and wintering distribution of common loons breeding in the Upper Midwest

Climate change‐associated declines in water clarity impair feeding by common loons

The relative importance of cisco (Coregonus artedi) in the diets of common loons (Gavia immer) among a set of cisco refuge lakes in Minnesota

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