Ducks that look like loons often share a sleek, elongated body shape and a smooth, low profile when swimming. Their plumage patterns can include dark backs and lighter underparts, creating a striking resemblance to the bold, contrasting colors of loons. From a distance, their posture and movements on the water can easily fool even experienced observers, especially in dim light or on calm lakes.
These look-alike ducks often favor similar habitats—large lakes, reservoirs, and coastal bays—where they dive below the surface in search of fish or aquatic plants. Their diving ability adds to the confusion, as both they and loons submerge completely, reappearing several meters away. Their sharp, streamlined silhouettes and habit of staying low in the water reinforce their loon-like appearance.
Behaviorally, these ducks share many traits with loons, such as their quiet demeanor and preference for open water over shallow ponds. They tend to be strong, agile swimmers with webbed feet placed far back on their bodies, a feature that enhances diving efficiency. This adaptation gives them excellent underwater control but makes walking on land a bit awkward, much like true loons.
The coloration of these ducks further adds to the similarity. Many have dark, iridescent feathers, pale bellies, and occasionally faint striping or spotting along their necks or backs. During breeding season, the subtle differences between them and loons become more noticeable, but outside that time, the resemblance can be remarkably close.
Ducks That Look Like Loons
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)
Found in: North America, Europe, and Asia.
This large, fish-eating duck has a long, slender, serrated bill perfect for catching fish. The male’s clean white body and dark green head can be mistaken for a loon’s sharp black-and-white patterning, especially in winter when loons have a more muted appearance. Its low profile in the water and diving behavior further the resemblance.
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)
Found in: North America, Europe, and Asia.
Similar to its larger cousin, the Red-breasted Merganser has a shaggy, double-crested head and a long, thin, red bill. Its gray body and reddish-brown breast can create a color pattern that, at a distance, mimics the checkered back of a Common Loon in non-breeding plumage. Its swift, expert diving is also very loon-like.
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)
Found in: North America.
While smaller, the male Hooded Merganser’s stark black-and-white body and its habit of swimming low in the water can cause a momentary misidentification. The large, white, fan-shaped crest on the male is distinctive, but when it’s closed, the duck’s profile can look surprisingly similar to a small loon’s.
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)
Found in: North America, Europe, and Asia.
A bulky diving duck often found in large flocks (“rafts”) on open water. The male’s dark head (which can show a green sheen), white sides, and pale blue bill can be confused with a loon’s shape and coloration from afar. Its rounded head and broader body are key differences upon closer inspection.
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)
Found in: North America.
Very similar to the Greater Scaup, the male Lesser Scaup has a black head with a purple (not green) sheen and a peaked head shape. When seen singly or in small groups, its low-floating posture and diving habits can easily lead to it being mistaken for a loon by novice birdwatchers.
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)
Found in: North America.
The male Ring-necked Duck has a striking black back, a sharp white spur on the side, and a peaked black head. This bold black-and-white pattern is reminiscent of a loon’s. Its diving behavior and preference for similar freshwater habitats add to the potential for confusion.
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
Found in: North America, Europe, and Asia.
The male Common Goldeneye has a dark, iridescent green head that can look black at a distance, a bright white body, and a circular white spot between its eye and bill. Its compact, low-riding shape when swimming can sometimes be mistaken for a loon, especially in choppy water.
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
Found in: North America.
A small, chunky diving duck. The male’s striking, puffy white head with a large green and purple patch can, in certain light and at a distance, be misinterpreted as the bold black-and-white patterning of a loon. Its small size is the biggest giveaway.
Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica)
Found in: North America and Iceland.
Similar to the Common Goldeneye, the male Barrow’s Goldeneye has a dark, purplish head and a white crescent moon-shaped (not circular) face patch. Its overall shape and diving behavior on northern lakes can lead to it being confused with a loon.
Black Scoter (Melanitta americana)
Found in: Coastal waters of North America and Northeastern Asia.
The male Black Scoter is almost entirely velvety black with a single bright yellow-orange knob on its bill. While its coloration is uniform, its low-slung profile in the water, often in a “sleek” posture, and its diving habits can give it a loon-like silhouette, especially in rough seas.
White-winged Scoter (Melanitta deglandi)
Found in: Coastal waters and large lakes of North America and Northeastern Asia.
A large, heavy sea duck. The male is almost entirely black with a distinctive small white eye patch and a bright orange-and-white knob on its bill. Its low profile in the water and solitary habits can make it appear loon-like from a distance, especially when its namesake white wing patches are not visible.
Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)
Found in: Coastal waters of North America.
The male Surf Scoter is a striking black duck with a unique pattern of white patches on its forehead and nape, and a large, multicolored bill. Its bulky body sits low in the water, and its diving behavior in surf zones can lead to brief confusion with a loon, particularly in challenging viewing conditions.
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis)
Found in: Arctic and sub-Arctic coastal waters of North America, Europe, and Asia.
This sea duck has a complex, changing plumage, but its low, sleek profile in the water and expert diving are highly reminiscent of a loon. In winter, its mostly white body with dark cheek patches can be mistaken for the pattern of a winter-plumaged loon, especially when its long tail is not visible.