Is there anything so haunting as the tremolo of the loon, or so lonely as its wail? I know of nothing more evocative of Minnesota’s wilderness than the keening cries of the great northern loon across a mirror-still lake at twilight.

The state bird of Minnesota and provincial bird of Ontario, the Great Northern Loon is beloved by the people who live in its territory, be it today or in centuries gone by. The Loon has featured prominently in Ojibwe culture: not only are stories of the loon part of oral tradition, but the Loon Clan is one of the seven original clans of the Ojibwe, and the Loon was of the most well-known constellations (comprised of the Little Dipper with the North Star as the tip of its tail).

Has the Great Northern Loon captured your heart? Purchase a print or cards here!