Order Gaviiformes / Loons

Here are some of their typical anatomy of birds in Gaviiformes:

• All kinds of birds in this order have sturdy webbed feet that help them swim in the water.
• These birds dive to get their leading food – fish.
• The feet of loons are placed closer to the tail, so they have difficulty walking on land.
• Gaviiformes have dagger-shaped, sharp beaks.
• Gaviiformes have flattened knife-like bodies.
• Unlike most water birds, loons have short necks.

The animals in Gaviiformes have difficulty moving on land since their legs are further back than those of other birds.

• These birds have web-like feet, sharp bills, and long necks.
• The diet of birds in this order is primarily composed of fish; however, parents feed their young smaller foods such as crustaceans and worms.
• When the loons do not cross-breed, their plumage is typically gray, brown, black, and white.
• Birds in Gaviiformes are very protective of their territory, so much so that they will even resort to attacking others of the same order.
• Although they cannot walk on land very easily, Gaviiformes birds make up for it with their agility in the water.
• A typical adult bird in the Gaviiformes order usually eats around two pounds of fish per day; this amounts to just about 1200 calories.
• Loons generally live in northern temperate areas like North America and Asia; however, migrate to warmer regions (usually coasts) such as the Mediterranean Sea and Gulf Of Mexico during the winter.
• Animals in this order have a better diving ability than other birds since their bones are denser; this is why they are known as “divers“.
• Gaviiformes birds almost always have the same mate for their entire life; they are monogamous.
• Gaviiformes birds usually live in forests and tundra with ponds or lakes. During the breeding season, loons usually reproduce in freshwater ecosystems.
• If they die a natural death, birds in this order often can live around 30 years.

Here are the 5 species in the order Gaviiformes:

• Red-throated loon
• Pacific loon
• Arctic loon
• Common loon
• Yellow-billed loon