loons

Wailing lake birds

Loons are large diving birds found on northern lakes, known for their haunting, yodel-like calls and striking black-and-white plumage.

They're powerful swimmers but awkward on land—their legs are set far back on their bodies.

The common loon appears on Canadian currency.

Separately, loon is informal for a crazy or foolish person: He's an absolute loon.

call

haunting

Disturbingly unforgettable

  • tremoloRapid tonal wavering
  • wailProlonged mournful cry
  • yodelSinging with pitch breaks

cry · mournful · eerie · echo · plaintive · lonesome · wilderness · twilight · dusk · solitude

bird

waterfowl

Swimming birds collectively

feathers · beak · migration · flock · habitat · species · avian · ornithology · ornithologist · conservation

lake

freshwater

Non-saline aquatic environment

shoreline · reeds · cattails · marsh · northern · boreal · secluded · calm · mist · reflection

slang

crazy

Mentally unhinged

oddball · fool · crackpot · lunatic · kook · weirdo · unhinged · daft · batty

diving

plunge

Sudden steep descent

aquatic · fish · dive · surfacing · buoyancy · pursuit · prey · foraging · swimming · propulsion

Categories
Opposites
aquatic behavior

loonsmallards

Common wild ducks

ducks · teals · wigeons

bird ecology

loonsshorebirds

Coastal avian foragers

waders · geese · swans · gulls · herons

mental state/behavior

loonssages

Profoundly learned people

geniuses

Phrases
Family

loon, loony, loonies, loonier, looniness

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G