The Red-Throated Loon is the most common of the Loon family. It is aged by its brownish red eye with Total Length: 25” Description: All loons are large birds, but this species is the smallest. The red-throated loon (North America) or red-throated diver (Britain and Ireland) (Gavia stellata) is a migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere. ID: 19827. World Bird Guide:: Loons:: Red-throated Loon. Pacific Loons, but this may lead to confusion with Arctic Loon (no Ontario Book Review: A Naturalist’s Guide to the Fishes of Ohio. In summer, it nests in Scotland, but look out for it around the UK's coast during winter. definitive basic plumage. Distribution: This species migrates from its Arctic breeding grounds to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The smallest of the world’s five loon species, the Red-throated Loon is a high-arctic breeder but winters along the east and west coasts of North America. Distribution: This species migrates from its Arctic breeding grounds to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. They can be up to 26 inches long. The scientific name is Gavia stellata. The Red-Throated Loon is the most common of the Loon family. and the V-markings are narrower and more extensive. In summer, they are a soft gray with neat stripes and a russet patch on the neck. Observed in County(s) Bannock. The species name stellata comes from the spangle of bright "stars" on the upperparts in basic (winter) plumage. Benewah. Status: Uncommon migrant. Scientific name: Gavia stellata. Photo by Ashok Khosla. During the breeding seaso… spots are a good identification mark at close range for both winter Thus, loons avoid coming to land, except when nesting or severely injured. The red-throated loon (Gavia stellata)is the smallest, most widely distributed, and most distinctive of the world’s five loon species. 5. They are smaller and more slender than other loons, with a smaller bill that they characteristically hold tipped slightly upward. Category. They are the smallest species of all known Loon species in the wild. 21 December 2006. The red-throated diver lives up to its name - the distinctive red patch on its throat heralds the breeding season. Species information. Kootenai. Niagara-on-the-Lake. Red-Throated Loon. In breeding plumage, they have a brown body with a gray head and red throat. Scientific Name(s): Gavia stellata. They can be up to 26 inches long. Red-throated Loon at Niagara-on-the-Lake: 21 December 2006: The scientific name is Gavia stellata.The species name stellata comes from the spangle of bright "stars" on the upperparts in basic (winter) plumage. The face is white, along with most of the neck and the lower sides. They have a narrow bill usually held upright. Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata Described by: Pontoppidan (1763) Alternate common name(s): Red-throated Diver Old scientific name(s): None known by website authors Photographs Select thumbnail to view larger image - Place cursor over image for image information They are the smallest species of all known Loon species in the wild. Red-throated Loons propel themselves underwater with their feet. Scientific Name: Gavia stellata. During migration it may turn up on any large body of water in Ohio. Red-Throated Loon Facts and Information Gavia stellata Introduction. Red-throated Loon at Niagara-on-the-Lake: 21 December 2006: The scientific name is Gavia stellata. Ranging from 55 to 67 centimetres (22 to 26 in) in length, the red-throated loon is the smallest and lightest of the world's loons. adults and juveniles, but on juveniles the markings are greyer (duller) In winter plumage they have a dark brown back and top of neck and head with small white spots on the back. Red-throated Loon at Red-throated Loon . Being the smallest of the loon species, the red-throated loon … often shows considerable white along the waterline unlike Common and However, since their feet are located far back on the body, loons have difficulty walking on land. Scientific Name: Gavia stellata. Red-throated Loons are among the finest fish hunters in North America, and perhaps the most graceful of all loons. The adults of this species are between 21 to 27 inches in length and weigh between 2.2 to 6 pounds. In winter, it is a nondescript bird, greyish above fading to white below. In 2020 a necropsy of a Bald Eagle found floating on a Maine lake (beside the floating body of a loon chick) found that the eagle had been stabbed through the heart by an adult loon's beak. Red-throated Loon.