BirdsIn Ohio
Common Loon
Gavia immer (Brünnich, 1764)
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Gaviiformes
- Family
- Gaviidae
- Genus
- Gavia
Range
Where it is recorded
Season shown in 1 of Ohio's 88 counties. Its mapped range covers 88. Explore Ohio
- No result yet (0)
- Within its mapped range (34)
- Recorded, too few records for a result (48)
- Recorded, season not shown (5)
- Season shown (1)
Counties as a table
| County | Records | In mapped range |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Allen County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Ashland County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Ashtabula County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Athens County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Auglaize County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Belmont County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Brown County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Butler County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Carroll County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Champaign County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Clark County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Clermont County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Clinton County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Columbiana County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Coshocton County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Crawford County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Cuyahoga County | 89 · Season shown | Yes: migration |
| Darke County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Defiance County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Delaware County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Erie County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Fairfield County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Fayette County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Franklin County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Fulton County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Gallia County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Geauga County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Greene County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Guernsey County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Hamilton County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Hancock County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Hardin County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Harrison County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Henry County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Highland County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Hocking County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Holmes County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Huron County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Jackson County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Jefferson County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Knox County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Lake County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Lawrence County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Licking County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Logan County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Lorain County | 21 · Recorded, season not shown | Yes: migration |
| Lucas County | 26 · Recorded, season not shown | Yes: migration |
| Madison County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Mahoning County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Marion County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Medina County | 27 · Recorded, season not shown | Yes: migration |
| Meigs County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Mercer County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Miami County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Monroe County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Montgomery County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Morgan County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Morrow County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Muskingum County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Noble County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Ottawa County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Paulding County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Perry County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Pickaway County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Pike County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Portage County | 22 · Recorded, season not shown | Yes: migration |
| Preble County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Putnam County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Richland County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Ross County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Sandusky County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Scioto County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Seneca County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Shelby County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Stark County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Summit County | 56 · Recorded, season not shown | Yes: migration |
| Trumbull County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Tuscarawas County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Union County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Van Wert County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Vinton County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Warren County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Washington County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Wayne County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
| Williams County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Wood County | No qualifying records yet | Yes: migration |
| Wyandot County | Recorded, too few records for a result | Yes: migration |
Season
When it is recorded
In Ohio
Early November to late May, middle week Apr 5–11
Middle week · Apr 5–11
This week · Nov 8–14
Show over the bars
Records per week from 510 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not how common it is. The grey bars show how many records of all species were made here each week, so you can see when recording itself was high or low; the season is not adjusted by them.
Recorded on 336 dates. Latest record: December 2025.
Show as a table
| Week | Records of Common Loon | Years recorded | Records of all species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 4–10 | 2 | 1 | 6,211 |
| Jan 11–17 | 2 | 2 | 5,146 |
| Jan 18–24 | 0 | 0 | 4,645 |
| Jan 25–31 | 0 | 0 | 4,698 |
| Feb 1–7 | 2 | 2 | 6,023 |
| Feb 8–14 | 0 | 0 | 5,888 |
| Feb 15–21 | 0 | 0 | 5,436 |
| Feb 22–28 | 0 | 0 | 6,846 |
| Mar 1–7 | 0 | 0 | 8,321 |
| Mar 8–14 | 6 | 3 | 10,384 |
| Mar 15–21 | 19 | 8 | 12,620 |
| Mar 22–28 | 42 | 9 | 13,949 |
| Mar 29 – Apr 4 | 65 | 9 | 19,661 |
| Apr 5–11 | 77 | 10 | 26,860 |
| Apr 12–18 | 64 | 9 | 39,925 |
| Apr 19–25 | 37 | 9 | 41,623 |
| Apr 26 – May 2 | 34 | 8 | 56,391 |
| May 3–9 | 18 | 9 | 52,952 |
| May 10–16 | 11 | 7 | 53,785 |
| May 17–23 | 12 | 9 | 57,698 |
| May 24–30 | 8 | 7 | 54,651 |
| May 31 – Jun 6 | 4 | 3 | 53,099 |
| Jun 7–13 | 4 | 2 | 53,700 |
| Jun 14–20 | 1 | 1 | 56,625 |
| Jun 21–27 | 4 | 3 | 55,361 |
| Jun 28 – Jul 4 | 1 | 1 | 58,477 |
| Jul 5–11 | 1 | 1 | 61,336 |
| Jul 12–18 | 0 | 0 | 64,722 |
| Jul 19–25 | 1 | 1 | 69,753 |
| Jul 26 – Aug 1 | 0 | 0 | 59,416 |
| Aug 2–8 | 1 | 1 | 59,712 |
| Aug 9–15 | 0 | 0 | 55,994 |
| Aug 16–22 | 1 | 1 | 54,328 |
| Aug 23–29 | 0 | 0 | 51,772 |
| Aug 30 – Sep 5 | 0 | 0 | 57,167 |
| Sep 6–12 | 1 | 1 | 59,075 |
| Sep 13–19 | 0 | 0 | 54,543 |
| Sep 20–26 | 0 | 0 | 45,860 |
| Sep 27 – Oct 3 | 0 | 0 | 43,180 |
| Oct 4–10 | 1 | 1 | 37,841 |
| Oct 11–17 | 1 | 1 | 30,824 |
| Oct 18–24 | 1 | 1 | 21,156 |
| Oct 25–31 | 3 | 3 | 19,021 |
| Nov 1–7 | 8 | 7 | 14,172 |
| Nov 8–14 | 13 | 6 | 12,621 |
| Nov 15–21 | 14 | 5 | 7,965 |
| Nov 22–28 | 9 | 5 | 8,136 |
| Nov 29 – Dec 5 | 16 | 6 | 6,083 |
| Dec 6–12 | 5 | 3 | 6,004 |
| Dec 13–19 | 9 | 5 | 5,423 |
| Dec 20–26 | 8 | 6 | 5,661 |
| Dec 27 – Jan 2 | 4 | 2 | 8,459 |
What these results show
These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.
Identification
How to identify it
Look-alikes
Land cover
Often confused with
- Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata297 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
- Common Merganser Mergus merganser92 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
- Double-crested Cormorant Nannopterum auritum80 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
- Mallard Anas platyrhynchos68 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
- Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator25 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
From iNaturalist’s similar-species counts, refreshed monthly: confusions in Ohio first, then worldwide. Only species with an Ohio result are listed.
Land cover where it is recorded
| Land cover | Its recordsAll Ohio records |
|---|---|
| Open water | 64%3% |
| Developed | 21%49% |
| Forest | 5%31% |
| Wetland | 4%5% |
| Grassland and shrub | 3%0.9% |
| Farmland | 2%11% |
| Barren | 1%0.6% |
From 193 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Sources
Where these results come from
- Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
- Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
- See it on iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)OpenPhenology is independent and not affiliated with iNaturalist.
Records behind the Ohio result
510 records from 2 datasets.
- iNaturalist Research-grade Observations (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist.org · 508 recordsiNaturalist contributors, iNaturalist (2026). iNaturalist Research-grade Observations. iNaturalist.org. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/ab3s5x accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-11-13.
- iNaturalist observations (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist.org · 2 recordsiNaturalist. Available from https://www.inaturalist.org. Accessed 2026-11-13
To cite: the GBIF download doi:10.15468/dl.y2jkt8 (opens in a new tab).
A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.