Species

Red-throated loon

Gavia stellata

The smallest loon, a slender grey diver that winters in small numbers off Georgia's beaches.

Photo Steven Bodzin (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 53 to 69 cm long
Weight: About 1 to 2.7 kg
Habitat: Nearshore ocean and inlets in winter
Diet: Fish
In Georgia: An uncommon winter visitor on the coast
Voice: Mostly silent in winter
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Slim bill, often held tilted upward; pale grey upperparts speckled with white; white face in winter
Told apart from: Common loon, which is larger and darker with a heavy bill held level
Told apart from: Cormorants, which are black with hooked bills
Where to look: Nearshore waters and sounds, November to March

Behaviour

Red-throated loons dive for fish near the shore. Unlike other loons, they can take off from land and from small pools, which lets them nest on tiny tundra ponds.

Why they matter

This loon breeds across the Arctic and winters along both coasts of North America. Its fish diet and time spent on the sea make it vulnerable to oil and to fishing nets, and its numbers help show the health of nearshore waters.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A mound of mud and plants at the edge of a small tundra pond
Eggs — Usually two
Incubation — About 24 to 29 days
Chicks — Leave the nest soon after hatching
Flight — At about seven weeks
Lifespan — Wild birds over twenty years are recorded

Living around people

A loon on a beach cannot walk or take off from sand; it needs a rehabilitator.

Misconceptions

A loon on the beach is resting. Loons almost never come ashore except to nest.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Wintering	Wintering	Migrating north	Moving north along the coast	Arriving in the Arctic	Nesting	Chicks	Chicks	Young flying	Migration begins	Arriving on the Atlantic coast	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 34 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

Mexico

If you found one

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