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: @@
-;Gavia pacifica
+[[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]]
-[[Image:Pacific_Loon.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by balticbird]]
+'''Alternative name: Pacific Diver'''
-==Description==
-Location:  Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
+;[[:Category:Gavia|Gavia]] pacifica
 ==Identification==
-ALSO KNOWN AS PACIFIC LOON  Pacific Diver
+[[Image:269Diver 9bf.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Non-breeding<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Sandpiper|Sandpiper}}<br />Farnham, North [[Yorkshire]], [[UK]], 1 February 2007 ]]
-Gavia pacifica
+–64·5 cm (20-25½ in), Wingspan 118cm<br />
-Range  Breeds in north-eastern Siberia and in northern North America from Alaska east to Hudson Bay. Winters off Japan and on the Pacific coast of North America from Alaska to Baja California and in the 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 G. arctica.
+'''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 />
+'''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.
+====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.
-Habitat  Breeds on medium-large lakes and winters at sea.
+==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]].
-Identification  Slightly smaller than Black-throated Diver with a finer bill but very similar. Adult breeding: closely resembles Black-throated Diver with 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 demarcted from white underparts as in Black-throated Diver but may lack conspicuous white flank patch seen on swimming birds.
+Accidental vagrant in the eastern [[United States]].
+==Taxonomy==
+[[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>.
-Length 65-66cm. Wingspan 118cm.
+==Habitat==
+Breeds on medium-large lakes and winters at sea.
+==Behaviour==
+====Breeding====
+Breeds early-May to September (later in the north of their range).
-Voice Wailing, croaking and cackling calls.
+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.
-BREEDING  Breeds early-May to September, begins mid-June in north of range. Nests beside water often on an island or spit, a shallow scrape or more rarely a substantial mound of vegetation built in shallow water. Eggs: 2 (1 in replacement clutch), olive-brown, sometimes more greenish with sparse black blotches (76 x 47mm). Incubated by both sexes for 28-29 days. Young tended by both sexes, feed themselves at 35 days and fly at about 60 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==
+#{{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}}
-DIET  Fish, also molluscs and crustaceans.
 ==External Links==
-*[http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showgallery.php?mcats=all&what=allfields&si=Gavia+pacifica View more images of Pacific Loon in the gallery]
+{{GSearch|Gavia+pacifica}}
-[[Category:Birds]]
+[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Gavia]]