Last Updated: December 2, 2009 by Paul Lehman

winter
summer
migration
year round
extralimital range

Range: In North America, restricted to small parts of Western Alaska; accidental on West Coast. Global range includes Asia and Europe.

Identification: (Gavia arctica)

Accidental outside Western Alaska. In all plumages, note the white flank tuft above waterline. Otherwise, similar to Pacific Loon but slightly larger and heavier-billed; alternate adult has black back with white patches, black throat, vertical white lines on neck, and gray head and nape. Nape is slightly darker than nearly identical Pacific. In basic plumage, adult is dark brown with white cheeks and front of neck; contrast line on neck is abrupt and unbroken. Juvenile is like Basic Adult but scalloped on the back.

Length: 69 (cm) Wingspan: 102 (cm)

Habitat:

Open ocean, bays, estuaries. Nests on freshwater tundra lakes.

Behavior:

Nests on ground, on a pile of vegetation. In other parts of the world, known as Black-throated Diver.

Feeding:

Dives and swims to catch fish.

Field Notes

All of the documented Arctic Loons recorded in North America are of the eastern Asian subspecies G. a. viridigularis, which breeds in eastern Siberia and nw Alaska. The more widespread European subspecies is the nominate G. a. arctica (known as Black-throated Diver). The Asian viridigularis averages larger and longer-billed than both nominate G. a. arctica and Pacific Loons. In alternate plumage Arctic Loons have thicker white neck stripes than Pacific Loons (about 25 percent). In juvenile or basic/winter plumage Arctic Loons lack the chin stripe often shown by Pacific Loons, but this is not diagnostic because some Pacific Loons lack the chin stripe. More information on separating Pacific from Arctic Loon can be found at: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~ctlee/BirchLeeLoonBirding.pdf

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Citation: Hamilton, Robert A., and Michael A. Patten. Rare Birds of California. Camarillo: Western Field Ornithologists, 2007. Print.

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