Species: Gavia pacifica

Pacific Loon

Species

Birds

Show on Lists

Puget Sound Partnership indicator species: birds

Salish Sea-reliant birds

Terrestrial vertebrates: birds

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

See Stallcup (1994) for information on identification of North American loons.

Science Review:

9. Marine birds

Articles:

Marine birds

April 01, 2011

More than 70 bird species regularly utilize Puget Sound during some or all stages of their life histories, but only a portion of these are actively being investigated.

Brandt's cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus). Photo by Finley and Bohlman, courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Aves

Order

Gaviiformes

Family

Gaviidae

Genus

Gavia

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100814

Classification

Other Global Common Names

Colimbo Pacífico - plongeon du Pacifique

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Other Birds

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Gaviiformes - Gaviidae - Gavia - Frequently regarded as a subspecies of G. ARCTICA, but currently considered a distinct species (AOU 1985, 1998).

Ecology and Life History

See Stallcup (1994) for information on identification of North American loons.

Migration

false - false - true - Highly migratory (small flocks); some travel 12,000 miles/years (Oberholser 1974); others move only to coastal waters near breeding range. Main migration in California: November-early December, late April-May; in southern California, spring migration peaks sometimes between mid-April and early May (Russell and Lehman 1994). Arrives southeastern Alaska by early May, arctic coast early June (sometimes late May). Peak fall migration in arctic Alaska late August-September (Johnson and Herter 1989).

Non-migrant

false

Locally Migrant

false

Food Comments

Feeds on fishes as well as crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic insects; also eats aquatic seeds and some aquatic vegetation. Small shoal fishes often important in winter. Food obtained underwater during dives usually less than 1 minute. In some areas, nesting birds feed in lakes and ponds adjacent to their nest sites; in other areas, they make regular foraging flights to nearshore marine waters (Andres 1993).

Reproduction Comments

Breeding begins in early May in south, to mid-June in north. Both adults, in turn, incubate usually 2 eggs, 28-29 days. Hatching occurs in second half of July around Beaufort Sea (Johnson and Herter 1989). Young are tended by both parents, first fly at about 2 months, independent by about 3 months. Pair-bond apparently is life-long. Nest density is up to 2.6 per sq km in Alaska (Johnson and Herter 1989).

Ecology Comments

Occurs singly, in pairs, or small groups. In winter off California, usually solitary or in pairs. Overall breeding density on arctic coastal plain estimated at about 1 pair per 200 ha; 5 nests observed on 1 pond of 21 ha (Johnsgard 1987). Egg predation by foxes, jaegers, and gulls sometimes is significant.

Length

Weight

1659

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

1996-11-20

Global Status Last Changed

1996-11-20

Other Status

LC - Least concern

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - BREEDS: eastern Siberia from Arctic coast south to Anadyrland; Arctic coast of Alaska and Canada east to Baffin Island, south to southern Alaska, southwestern Yukon, northern Manitoba, and northwestern Quebec. WINTERS: south to Japan and along Pacific coast of North America south to Baja California and southern Sonora. In North America, areas of highest winter density include British Columbia around Vancouver Island, Monterey Bay in California, and near Point Whiteshed in Alaska (Root 1988). Casual/uncommon migrant inland in western U.S., very rare on east coast (NGS 1983).

Global Range Code

Global Range Description

>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100814