WhenToBird

2 loon species in North Carolina

When Do Loons Arrive in North Carolina?

Adult Common Loon
Photo: Hungry-Sarracenia Photo, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Loons and Red-throated Loons are the loons you are most likely to see in North Carolina. Common Loons are winter birds in North Carolina: they arrive in early November, peak in early December (3.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakDec 1-7early December
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: early December. First arrivals early November; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 3.9% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

Loons in North Carolina, species by species

SpeciesFirst arrivalsCommon byPeakMost gone byPeak %
Common LoonNov 1-7Nov 1-7Dec 1-7Apr 15-213.9%
Red-throated LoonDec 1-7Dec 1-7Jan 22-31Apr 1-72.0%
0%2%4%6%Common LoonRed-throated LoonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
  • Common Loon
  • Red-throated Loon
Share of complete checklists reporting each species, by week (4 per month). Gaps: fewer than 10 checklists that week.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in North Carolina that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

Where in North Carolina

Best counties for Common Loon

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Vance CountyBest early December · 29 checklists that week, 1,721 in all41%
  2. Clay CountyBest the second week of December · 42 checklists that week, 2,906 in all26%
  3. Carteret CountyBest early March · 751 checklists that week, 27,746 in all25%
  4. Chatham CountyBest mid November · 485 checklists that week, 33,471 in all23%
  5. Alexander CountyBest late March · 37 checklists that week, 1,387 in all23%
  6. New Hanover CountyBest early February · 727 checklists that week, 33,362 in all22%

Common questions

When do loons arrive in North Carolina?
Common Loons are winter birds in North Carolina: they arrive in early November, peak in early December (3.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do loons leave North Carolina?
Most Common Loons have left North Carolina by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see loons in North Carolina?
The Common Loon is reported most often in early December, on about 3.9% of North Carolina checklists.
Which loons are in North Carolina?
Common Loon and Red-throated Loon are reported regularly; the Common Loon is the most common.