In Wyoming, the Common Loon is the rarest breeding bird; they are listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need, as determined by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. In 2012, Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI), in partnership with Yellowstone National Park (YNP), initiated a study to monitor and understand the local breeding loon population. In 2013, BRI created a dedicated working group in collaboration with governmental agencies including Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and Bridger-Teton and Caribou-Targhee National Forests. The goals of BRI within the Wyoming Loon Working Group are to ensure that Wyoming’s small and isolated breeding population of Common Loons is self-sustaining. A wider understanding of loon ecology and threats will be important to assist governmental agencies with management and outreach efforts.

Loons are long-lived; they have relatively low annual productivity and a poor ability to colonize new breeding areas. Given its small size and disjunct location, the breeding loon population in Wyoming is at particularly high risk of local extinction and is highly susceptible to coastal threats (for first summering and wintering individuals). During the breeding season, general threats to this population include: (1) direct human disturbance to nests and chicks and take of adults; (2) water level fluctuations (especially related to climate change); (3) changes in prey abundance and composition; and, (4) contaminants (e.g., lead and mercury) and toxins (e.g., cyanobacteria). On the wintering grounds, Wyoming’s loon population is susceptible to hazards such as marine oil spills and commercial fishing nets.