Instructions
Listen to loon calls on the Internet. Familiarize yourself with the bird's different calls before heading out into the wilderness to try to locate loons.
Listen for loon hoots. These short sounds indicate that the loons are in a group and are socializing.
Listen for loon wails. These long, mournful calls indicate that the birds are trying to locate one another and bridge the distance between them.
Listen for tremolo calls, which sound like high-pitched laughter. Tremolo calls are alerts that the birds emit when they feel threatened -- such as when people get close to loon chicks or a loon nest. These are the calls you are most likely to hear.
Listen for loon yodels. Only male loons make these calls, and they do so when mating.
How to Identify Loon Bird Calls
Loons are large waterbirds native to the northern United States and Canada. Although the birds may be a bit difficult to identify by sight, they have distinctive calls that are different than the calls of any other birds. Loons make four different types of calls -- which you can hear mainly in warm-weather months -- and each has a specific meaning.