Common loon (Gavia immer)

Common loons winter in the inland waters of Washington and British Columbia where they forage in nearshore and open waters. Historically, common loons once were a fairly common breeding species on freshwater lakes both east and west of the Cascade crest, but shoreline development on freshwater lakes has reduced known nesting pairs in Washington state to several dozen annually. The common loon is a candidate for listing by Washington state and a recent status report recommends state-sensitive status for the species.