Great Northern Diver Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Great Northern Diver

Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Gaviiformes
Family:	Gaviidae
Genus:	Gavia
Species:	G. immer
Binomial name
*Gavia immer* (Brunnich, 1764)

The Great Northern Diver, also known as the Common Loon, is a large bird. It belongs to the diver family. Adult loons are quite big, usually 70 to 90 centimeters (about 2.3 to 3 feet) long. Their wings can spread out from 1.2 to 1.5 meters (about 4 to 5 feet) wide!

These birds spend their summers and raise their young in places like North America, Greenland, Iceland, and Scotland. When winter comes, they fly to warmer areas. They can be found on sea coasts or big lakes in southern Europe, the United States, and even parts of northwestern Africa.

Flying in Vermont, USA

A Great Northern Diver

What Great Northern Divers Eat
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Images for kids
See also

What Great Northern Divers Eat

Like all divers, the Great Northern Diver is a special fish-eater. It catches its food underwater. These birds can dive very deep, sometimes as far as 60 meters (about 200 feet)!

Their diet changes depending on where they are:

In freshwater, they eat fish like pike, perch, sunfish, trout, and bass.
In saltwater, they enjoy fish such as rock fish, flounder, sea trout, and herring.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Female Great Northern Divers usually lay 1 to 3 eggs. They make a simple nest, which is a hollowed-out mound of dirt and plants, very close to the water.

Both parents work together to build the nest. They take turns sitting on the eggs to keep them warm until they hatch. Once the young birds are born, both parents also help feed them.