Red-throated loon

The red-throated loon is a migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere. It breeds primarily in Arctic regions, and winters in northern coastal waters. Fish form the bulk of its diet, though amphibians, invertebrates, and plant material are sometimes eaten as well. In breeding season, it acquires the distinctive reddish throat patch which is the basis for its common name.

About Red-throated loon in brief

The red-throated loon is a migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere. It breeds primarily in Arctic regions, and winters in northern coastal waters. Fish form the bulk of its diet, though amphibians, invertebrates, and plant material are sometimes eaten as well. It is the smallest and lightest of the world’s loons, ranging from 53 to 69cm in length, with a 91–120cm wingspan. The species is protected by international treaties. Oil spills, habitat degradation, pollution, and fishing nets are among the major threats this species faces. Natural predators—including various gull species, and both red and Arctic foxes, will take eggs and young. The specific epithet stellata is Latin for \”set with stars\” or \”starry\”, and refers to the bird’s speckled back in its non-breeding plumage. Members of the family Gavidae are known as loons in North America and divers in Great Britain and Ireland. A local name from Willapa Harbor, Washington, was Quaker loon. The International Ornithological Congress uses the name red- Throated loons for this species. The word loon comes from the Swedish lom, the Old Norse or Icelandic lómr, or the Old Dutch loen, and is a probable reference to the difficulty that all loons have in moving about on land. Like the other members of its genus, it is well adapted to its aquatic environment: its dense bones help it to submerge, its legs—in their set-back position—provide excellent propulsion, and its body is long and streamlined.

Even its sharply pointed bill may help its underwater streamlining. In breeding season, it acquires the distinctive reddish throat patch which is the basis for its common name. The only loon with an all-dark breeding plumage with an non-dark back in the breeding season is the red- throated diver, which has a dark grey head and white underparts, and a triangular red throat patch. In winter, the bird is a nondescript bird, greyish above fading to white below. It has a large global population and a significant global range, though some populations are declining. Its relationship to the four other loons is complex; it differs from the others in terms of morphology, behaviour, ecology and breeding biology and may be the basal lineage of the genus. It may be most closely related to the fossil Pliocene species Gavia howardae, used by ancient Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder. The genus name Gavia comes from Latin for ‘sea mew’ as used by the ancient naturalist to refer to the family’s underwater method of hunting for prey, while ‘diver’ is a straightforward reference to its most distinctive breeding plumage feature. The red- throatated loon is the most widely distributed member of the loon or diver family, ranging in length from 53 cm to 69 cm.

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