State Bird - Loon

The loon (Gavia immer) became Minnesota’s state bird in 1961.

The loon (Gavia immer) became Minnesota’s state bird in 1961. It is known also as the common loon. Loons are large black and white birds with red eyes. They have wingspans up to five feet and body lengths up to three feet. They are clumsy on land because their feet are situated toward the back of their bodies, but they are high-speed flyers and excellent underwater swimmers–they will dive to depths of 90 feet in pursuit of fish to eat. Loons are known for their soliloquy of cries, wails, and yodels; their eerie, echoing calls are a distinctive feature of Minnesota’s northern lakes. Approximately 12,000 of this waterfowl make their summer homes in the state; the one pictured here nests on Larch Lake, near the Gunflint Trail.

Common Loon (DNR)

Minnesota Statutes 1961 section 1.145

State Symbols

State Bird - Loon
State Drink - Milk
State Fish - Walleye
State Flag
State Seal
State Song - Hail! Minnesota
State Fruit - Honeycrisp Apple
State Butterfly - Monarch
State Flower - Pink Lady's Slipper
State Gemstone - Agate
State Grain - Wild Rice
State Muffin - Blueberry
State Mushroom - Morel
State Photograph - Grace
State Sport - Ice Hockey
State Tree- Norway Pine
State Soil - Lester
State Motto - L’etoile du Nord
State Bee - Rusty Patched Bumblebee