Central Park Birding:: Species Accounts: Loons and Grebes
| Abundance: | Rare during winter and early spring |
| Status: | Rare migrant and winter vagrant |
| Habitats: | Large bodies of water |
| Best dates: | no good times |
| Best location: | Reservoir |
| Most similar to: | Common Loon in winter plumage; not seen in breeding plumage |
| Size: length: | 21-25 inches |
| Appearance: | Males and females differ only by size with much overlap.
Exclusively seen in winter or the closely similar immature plumage, the Red-throated Loon is a large gray and white
water bird superficially similar to an immature Double-crested Cormorant. The bill is long and narrow
and is often held up-tilted - the upper culmen of the bill is flatter than the lower, and this accentuates
this feature. The back is dark gray with scatter white markings on the feather edges, and the gray
color extends up the back of the neck to
the crown. The underparts are whitish, as is the front of the next, throat and cheeks - in particular the
white typically extends further up into the face than other loons. This feature in Red-throated Loons nearly
always appears whiter than in Common Loons. The Double-creasted Cormorant is similar in size, but adults appear wholly very dark, while immatures are dark brown above and paler brown below. The bill on the cormorant is thicker than the Red-throated loon and diagnistically is hooked. |
| Habits: | Usually seen diving for food on larger water bodies - usually the Reservoir |
| Other species accounts: | patuxent, cornell |
| Abundance: | Very uncommon in April, rare during fall and winter |
| Status: | Spring and fall migrant, often as fly-overs |
| Habitats: | Large bodies of water |
| Best dates: | April |
| Best location: | Reservoir |
| Most similar to: | Red-throated Loon in winter plumage; Double-crested Cormorant; distinctive in breeding plumage |
| Size: length: | 29-34 inches |
| Appearance: | Males and females differ only by size with much overlap. Common Loons are usually seen in spring (April) migrating north, when they are usually in the very distinctive full breeding plumage. Common Loons are large water birds, with massive dagger shaped bills. Superficially similar to cormorants they differ in having thicker necks and bills and lack the bill hook that characterise the latter. The breeding plumage Common Loon is a striking black and white bird, with a black head, a black neck with extensive white chevrons, heavy black bill and a black back extensively marked with a regular white pattern. Sometimes seen as a flyover, the loon appears heavy bodied with relatively small wings, flapping rapidly in continuous flight. The white underparts contrast with the black neck in flight. Rarely seen in winter, the adult non-breeding and immature plumage is gray/brown and white, similar in overall pattern to Red-throated Loon (gray above, white below) but the extent of white is more limited. The striking bulk of the Common Loon, in particular of the bill, is a good field mark when distinguishing the two species. The bird is stockier than an immature Double-crested Cormorant, but in cases of confusion the bill is the best way to tell the species apart - cormorants have hooked bills and loons do not. |
| Habits: | Usually seen diving for food on larger water bodies - usually the Reservoir; also seen as fly-overs in the early morning |
| Other species accounts: | nycbirdreport, patuxent, cornell |
| Abundance: | Very uncommon late fall-early winter and early spring |
| Status: | Migrant and early winter visitor |
| Habitats: | Large bodies of water |
| Best dates: | Mid Oct - late December |
| Best location: | Reservoir |
| Most similar to: | Superficially similar to small diving ducks |
| Size: length: | 12-15 inches |
| Appearance: | Males and females essentially identical. Pied-billed Grebes are late fall through mid-spring visitors, and are seen mostly in their non-breeding plumage. This is a relatively small water bird, smaller than a Mallard and a little smaller than the size of a Ruddy Duck, close to that of a Bufflehead. In contrast to the small diving ducks the Pied-billed Grebe appears "tail-less" in the water. Additionally the short stubby pale bill contrasts against the larger bills of the diving ducks (Ruddy Duck, Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup). The overall plumage is a nondescript brown. In breeding plumage, reddish tones appear in the plumage and the bill becomes strikingly bicolored - whitish with an obvious vertical black stripe. Compared to female Buffleheads the Pied-billed Grebe lacks the white flash on the cheek. Compared to female Ruddy Ducks it lacks the obvious horizontal cheek stripe, and the Ruddy Duck has an obvious flat stiff tail. |
| Other species accounts: | nycbirdreport, patuxent, cornell |
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