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Red-throated Loon

A species of Loons, Also known as Peggin'-awl Loon, Scapegrace, Cape Race, Caybrace, Corbrus
Scientific name : Gavia stellata Genus : Loons

Red-throated Loon, A species of Loons
Also known as:
Peggin'-awl Loon, Scapegrace, Cape Race, Caybrace, Corbrus
Botanical name: Gavia stellata
Genus: Loons
Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) Photo By Steve Garvie , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original

Description

Like the other members of its genus, the red-throated loon 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. Its feet are large, its front three toes are fully webbed, and its tarsus is flattened, which reduces drag and allows the leg to move easily through the water. The red-throated loon is the smallest and lightest of the world's loon species, ranging from 53 to 69 cm (21 to 27 in) in length with a 91–120 cm (36–47 in) wingspan, and weighing 1–2.7 kg (2.2–6.0 lb). Like all loons, it is long-bodied and short-necked, with its legs set far back on its body. The sexes are similar in appearance, although males tend to be slightly larger and heavier than females. In breeding plumage, the adult has a dark grey head and neck (with narrow black and white stripes on the back of the neck), a triangular red throat patch, white underparts, and a dark grey-brown mantle. It is the only loon with an all-dark back in breeding plumage. The non-breeding plumage is drabber with the chin, foreneck, and much of the face white, the top of the head and back of the neck grey, and considerable white speckling on the dark mantle. Its iris is carmine-red to burgundy in color, its legs are black on the outer half and pale on the inner half, and the webs of its feet are pinkish-brown, with darker margins. Its bill is thin, straight, and sharp, and often held at an uptilted angle. One of the bird's North American folk names is pegging-awl loon, a reference to its sharply pointed bill, which resembles a sailmaker's awl (a tool also known as a "pegging awl" in New England). Though the colour of the bill changes from black in summer to pale grey in winter, the timing of the colour change does not necessarily correspond to that of the bird's overall plumage change. The nostrils are narrow slits located near the base of the bill. When it first emerges from its egg, the young red-throated loon is covered with fine soft down feathers. Primarily dark brown to dark grey above, it is slightly paler on the sides of its head and neck, as well as on its throat, chest, and flanks, with a pale grey lower breast and belly. Within weeks, this first down is replaced by a second, paler set of down feathers, which are in turn replaced by developing juvenile feathers. The juvenile's plumage is similar to that of the adult, though with a few distinguishing features. It has a darker forehead and neck, with heavy speckling on the sides of the neck and the throat. Its back is browner and less speckled, and its underparts are tinged with brown. Its eyes are reddish-brown, and its beak is a pale grey. Though some young birds hold this plumage until mid-winter, many quickly become virtually indistinguishable from adults, except for their paler bills. In flight, the red-throated loon has a distinctive profile; its small feet do not project far past the end of its body, its head and neck droop below the horizontal (giving the flying bird a distinctly hunchbacked shape) and its thin wings are angled back. It has a quicker, deeper wingbeat than do other loons.
Size
61 - 69 cm
Colors
Brown
Black
Red
Gray
White
Life Expectancy
24 years
Nest Placement
Ground
Clutch Size
1 - 2 eggs
Incubation Period
1 brood
Number of Broods
24 - 31 days
Feeding Habits
Red-throated Loon primarily consume fish like herring and capelin, along with invertebrates and occasionally plant matter. They dive underwater using leg movements to hunt, sometimes aided by wings. Initially, chicks are fed aquatic insects, progressing to fish as they grow. Red-throated Loon's top-predator status increases exposure to pollutants.
Habitat
Red-throated Loon are commonly found in arctic and subarctic regions, favoring rugged tundra and taiga wetlands for breeding, both at low to high altitudes up to 3,500 feet. Preferring small freshwater lakes, inland waterways, and the absence of larger loon species, they can also inhabit major rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. During migration, they stick to ocean shorelines and shores of large lakes. In winter, red-throated Loon reside in shallower marine waters near land, as well as in estuaries and sounds, rarely venturing far offshore.
Nest Behavior
Both red-throated Loon parents build the nest, shaping it with their feet and body, sometimes using only a depression in vegetation. Nest-building activities are closely tied to the breeding season, with egg-laying soon after nest completion, followed by biparental care.
Nest Characteristics
Red-throated Loon typically choose wetland edges or small islands in ponds for their nests, building mounds from moss, decayed vegetation, grasses, and mud, occasionally lined with dry grass. The nest averages 18 inches in diameter, 3 inches above the waterline, with a 9.5-inch wide and 1.6-inch deep interior depression.
Dite type
Piscivorous

General Info

Feeding Habits

Bird food type

Sounds

Call
Recording location: United States
Call
Recording location: United States
Call
Recording location: United States

Behavior

Red-throated Loon exhibit monogamous behavior, but the durability of their bonds remains unclear. In their daily life, they are territorial, utilizing distinct displays such as neck movements, splash-dives, and water slapping to deter invaders. A notable 'plesiosaur posture' and 'penguin posture' are particularly aimed at repelling other red-throated Loon. Both parents are dedicated, tending and feeding their offspring, with juveniles eventually relocating to different waters. As migration nears, they gather along coastlines, often embarking on nocturnal journeys, and display remarkable mobility when hunting fish at sea during the day, diving in a manner similar to Northern Gannets.

Distribution Area

The red-throated loon breeds primarily in the Arctic regions of northern Eurasia and North America (generally north of 50°N latitude), and winters in northern coastal waters, sometimes in groups of considerable size. More than 4,400 spend the winter in a loose concentration on the eastern part of the German Bight, for example. Unlike other loons, it regularly uses very small freshwater lakes as breeding sites. Its small size renders it more versatile, but it is less able to feed on deeper prey. The increase in size and diversity of the remaining species of loons suggests that the benefits of larger size outweigh the limitations. In North America, it winters regularly along both coasts, ranging as far south as the Baja California Peninsula and the Gulf of California in north-western Mexico; it has been recorded as a vagrant in the interior Mexican state of Hidalgo. Some of its folk names in north-eastern North America—including cape race, cape brace, cape drake and cape racer, as well as corruptions such as scapegrace—originated from its abundance around Cape Race, Newfoundland. In Europe, it breeds in Iceland, northern Scotland, north-western Ireland (only a few pairs breed ), Scandinavia and northern Russia, and winters along the coast as far south as parts of Spain; it also regularly occurs along major inland waterways, including the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas, as well as large rivers, lakes and reservoirs. It has occurred as a vagrant as far south as Morocco, Tunisia and the Gambia. In Asia, it breeds in the northern stretches of Siberia, and winters along the Pacific coast as far south as China, Japan and Taiwan. It has occurred as a vagrant in Mongolia.

Species Status

Although the red-throated loon is not a globally threatened species, as it has a large population and a significant range, there are populations which appear to be declining. The red-throated loon is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies; in the Americas, it is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) Photo By Steve Garvie , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original

Scientific Classification

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