Species:

Common Loon (Gavia immer)

Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra)

Change species:
Main Images:
Length (cm):
69-91
44-54
Wingspan (cm):
69-91
79-90
Weight (gram):
3600-4480
650-1300
Size group:
Bigger than a crow
Crow-size
Main Texts:
Appearance:

Large and bulkily built diver with heavy bill, square head profile and steep forehead. Usually holds bill pointed straight, not uptilted like White-billed Diver. Summer: White underparts and chequered black back. Black bill and head. Neck with white band. Winter; white underparts and dark back. Neck with incomplete black band, creating contrasting, jagged edge. Heavy, goose-like flight.

Sound:

Song: Like a slow Black-throated Diver. Pitch slowly rising with a register break, progressing into a cyclic, two to four syllable, motif. Also various vibrating eerie descending calls. Often used as sound effect in horror movies.

Song:

Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file


Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

CC

CC-photo:jackanapes, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:jerryoldenettel, Licence,Link.

Sounds:Recorded by Patrick Åberg,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license

Appearance:

Medium sized diving duck. Male all black except orange spot on bill. Female dark brown with contrasting light grey cheeks. Differs from Velvet Scoter in all plumages by lack of white wing-bars, and longer tail. Birds resting on the surface characteristically bow their head when occasionally flapping the wings. Wings held tight against body when diving. Last two characters usable for identification at very long range. Also tend to stay closer together in groups than Velvet Scoter.

Sound:

More vocal than other Scoters. Short, whistling sounds, sometimes reminiscent of a male teal, but a little bit deeper in pitch.

Display-call male:

Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file


Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Sounds:Recorded by Jarek Matusiak,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license

Similar species (sound):
Silhouette Group:
Loons/grebes
Silhouette
Duck-like
Silhouette
Several different images of the species
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
Several different sounds of the species