Take 5: Loony Tunes

Loons are famous for their beautifully haunting, eerie calls, which echo across the waters they call home. They have a variety of calls for different purposes—territorial, alarm sounds, mating, or to locate one another, to name a few.

Loons are water birds, venturing ashore only to mate and incubate eggs. They can dive almost noiselessly into the water to catch fish, and are agile underwater swimmers, propelling themselves with their feet. Their solid bones are perfectly designed to make them less buoyant and better at diving than most hollow-boned birds.

Have you heard any loons on your local lakes and ponds? Tell us below in the comments! And check out this beautiful Loon Flute from the Audubon Shop to make your own loon calls (just not during the summer because it can interfere with breeding).

Enjoy these five photos of loons in their striking black and white plumage, and submit your own wildlife photos to the 2016 Picture This: Your Great Outdoors Photo Contest, open now!