The Common Loon changes its appearance between the summer, when it is in breeding plumage, and the winter, when it is not. A striking aspect of this is that not only does its plumage change with the season, but so do other features: eyes, bill, and feet.
Guide books comment upon most of these things, but not the feet. After all, who would ever identify a loon by its feet? Indeed, who ever even gets to see a loon’s feet? Well, sometimes the loon shows them. Here are two pictures, the first was taken last year, the second was taken only a few days ago.
In the summer the plumage of the Common Loon is a strongly patterned black and white; the eyes are reddish and the bill is black. The feet are also blackish.
In the winter, the plumage of the Common Loon is a muted grey; the eyes are brownish and the bill grey. The feet have become light grey and pink. It’s as if the red of the summer eyes has drained all the way down to the feet.
…love that last shot with the pink foot!
Well, who’d have guessed. Thanks Alistair.
Stretch a leg. More great photos thanks.
Curiouser and curiouser; the second looks most unloon-like. What a life you have Alistair with all of your complicated creatures.
Complicated creatures? You didn’t tell her about the pipe band did you Alistair!
Hi, Alistair,
Remembered our conversation when viewing 2 loons today. Your pictures, as always, are amazing.
As you said, there is not much in the literature about Common Loon foot colour in winter—in my extensive collection of field guides it is not mentioned at all, as you rarely see the feet—the bird is so clumsy on land, it hardly ever leaves the water. Googling produced a mention in an old article in the “Auk”. It would be interesting to know whether other loon species have colour change in the feet during winter.
Cheers,
Peter
Peter, we each poured over the literature in the same way. It was not that I doubted my pictures (I took a number of foot shots), but I did wonder if I could learn anything more about a speculated function for this oddity. I too found that old article after drawing a blank in field guides. It is curious what one can trip over by merely watching one’s surroundings.
What a wonderful site and blog you have! I must also thank you as a regular vacationer! This summer will be my 10th “anniversary” of taking holidays on the shore of the beautiful, incredible, heavenly Kootenay Lake. … and your fish are sooo tasty as well 🙂 !!