Difference between revisions of "Pacific Loon" - BirdForum Opus

Latest revision as of 08:19, 17 August 2019

Breeding plumage
Photo © by Joseph Morlan
Half Moon Bay, California, USA, 5 May 2019

Alternative name: Pacific Diver

Gavia pacifica

Identification

Non-breeding
Photo © by Sandpiper
Farnham, North Yorkshire, UK, 1 February 2007

51–64·5 cm (20-25½ in), Wingspan 118cm
Adult breeding: white-chequered black back and dove-grey head but paler nape area more extensive and throat patch has purple (not green) iridescence.
Adult non-breeding: dark-grey brown above clearly demarcated from white underparts (as in Arctic Loon/Black-throated Diver) but may lack conspicuous white flank patch seen on swimming birds.

Similar Species

Compared to the similar Arctic Loon/Black-throated Diver, Pacific Loon differs in its slightly smaller size, more rounded head, thinner bill, purple-glossed throat, narrower white stripes on neck sides, paler crown, and lack of a white flank patch.

Distribution

Breeds in north-eastern Siberia and in northern North America from Alaska east to Hudson Bay. Winters off Japan and the Pacific coast of North America from Alaska to Baja California and commonly in the Gulf of California. May occur as a rare winter vagrant to the Atlantic coast but these birds may belong to Black-throated Diver.

Accidental vagrant in the eastern United States.

Taxonomy

Non-breeding
Photo © by Reader
Farnham, North Yorkshire, 3 February 2007

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Habitat

Breeds on medium-large lakes and winters at sea.

Behaviour

Breeding

Breeds early-May to September (later in the north of their range).

It builds nests beside water often on an island or spit, a shallow scrape or sometimes a substantial mound of vegetation built in shallow water. It lays 2 eggs which are olive brown with black blotches. Both sexes incubate for approx 28 days.

The young feed themselves at 35 days and fly at 60 days.

Diet

Fish, also molluscs and crustaceans.

Vocalisation

Wailing, croaking and cackling calls.

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Avibirds
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N. & Garcia, E.F.J. (2019). Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/467260 on 17 August 2019).
Russell, R. W. (2018). Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica), version 1.2. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.pacloo.01.2

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Pacific Loon. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Pacific_Loon

External Links

Search for photos of Pacific Loon in the gallery

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[Image:PacificLoonIMG 4421.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Breeding plumage<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|jmorlan|Joseph Morlan}} <br />Half Moon Bay, [[California]], [[USA]], 5 May 2019]]
 '''Alternative name: Pacific Diver'''
 ;[[:Category:Gavia|Gavia]] pacifica
-[[Image:Pacific_Loon.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by {{user|balticbird|balticbird}}<br/>Photo taken: Churchill, Manitoba, [[Canada]]]]
 ==Identification==
-L. 65-66cm<br/>
+[[Image:269Diver 9bf.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Non-breeding<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Sandpiper|Sandpiper}}<br />Farnham, North [[Yorkshire]], [[UK]], 1 February 2007 ]]
-Ws. 118cm
+–64·5 cm (20-25½ in), Wingspan 118cm<br />
-*Black back with white checkerboard pattern
+'''Adult breeding''':  white-chequered black back and dove-grey head but paler nape area more extensive and throat patch has purple (not green) [[Dictionary G-L#I|iridescence]].<br />
-*Dove-gray head
+'''Adult non-breeding''': dark-grey brown above clearly demarcated from white underparts (as in [[Arctic Loon|Arctic Loon/Black-throated Diver]]) but may lack conspicuous white flank patch seen on swimming birds.
-*Purple throat patch
+====Similar Species====
-===Similar Species===
+Compared to the similar [[Arctic Loon|Arctic Loon/Black-throated Diver]], Pacific Loon differs in its slightly smaller size, more rounded head, thinner bill, purple-glossed throat, narrower white stripes on neck sides, paler crown, and lack of a white flank patch.
-Similar to the [[Arctic Loon|Arctic Loon/Black-throated Diver]] but smaller and with a finer bill.
 ==Distribution==
-North-eastern Siberia and in northern [[North America]] from Alaska east to Hudson Bay. Winters off [[Japan]] and the Pacific coast of the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]. Accidental vagrant in the eastern [[United States]].
+Breeds in north-eastern Siberia and in northern [[North America]] from [[Alaska]] east to Hudson Bay. Winters off [[Japan]] and the Pacific coast of [[North America]] from Alaska to [[Baja California]] and commonly in the Gulf of [[California]]. May occur as a rare winter vagrant to the Atlantic coast but these birds may belong to [[Black-throated Diver]].
+Accidental vagrant in the eastern [[United States]].
 ==Taxonomy==
-This is a monotypic species.
+[[Image:234Pacific-Diver--9462.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Non-breeding<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Reader|Reader}}<br />Farnham, North [[Yorkshire]], 3 February 2007]]
+This is a [[Dictionary_M-O#M|monotypic]] species<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>.
 ==Habitat==
-Medium-large lakes and winters at sea.
+Breeds on medium-large lakes and winters at sea.
 ==Behaviour==
 ====Breeding====
-Breeds early-May to September.  It builds  nests beside water often on an island or spit, a shallow scrape or sometimes a substantial mound of vegetation built in shallow water. It lays 2 eggs which are olive brown with black blotches.  Both sexes incubate for approx 28 days.  The young feed themselves at 35 days and fly at 60 days.
+Breeds early-May to September (later in the north of their range).
+It builds  nests beside water often on an island or spit, a shallow scrape or sometimes a substantial mound of vegetation built in shallow water. It lays 2 eggs which are olive brown with black blotches.  Both sexes incubate for approx 28 days.
+The young feed themselves at 35 days and fly at 60 days.
 ====Diet====
 Fish, also molluscs and crustaceans.
-==Voice==
+====Vocalisation====
 Wailing, croaking and cackling calls.
+==References==
+#{{Ref-Clements6thAug19}}#[https://avibirds.com/pacific-loon/ Avibirds]
+#del Hoyo, J., Collar, N. & Garcia, E.F.J. (2019). Pacific Loon (''Gavia pacifica''). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/467260 on 17 August 2019).
+#Russell, R. W. (2018). Pacific Loon (''Gavia pacifica''), version 1.2. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.pacloo.01.2
+{{ref}}
 ==External Links==
 {{GSearch|Gavia+pacifica}}
-[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Gavia]][[category:incomplete]]
+[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Gavia]]