Pacific Diver
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| Gavia pacifica (Lawrence, 1858) |
The Pacific Diver (Gavia pacifica), known in North America as the Pacific Loon, is a medium-sized member of the loon, or diver, family. It may be conspecific with Black-throated Diver, which it closely resembles.
It breeds on deep lakes in the tundra region of Alaska and northern Canada as far east as Baffin Island. Unlike other loons, this bird may migrate in flocks. It winters at sea, mainly on the Pacific coast, or on large lakes over a much wider range. This species occurred in Europe for the first time in January, 2007, with an individual in Great Britain near Farnham, North Yorkshire
Breeding adults are like a smaller sleeker version of Great Northern Diver. They have a grey head, black throat, white underparts and chequered black-and-white mantle. Non-breeding plumage is drabber with the chin and foreneck white. Its bill is grey or whitish and dagger-shaped. In all plumages, lack of a white flank patch distinguishes this species from the otherwise very similar Black-throated Diver.
This species, like all divers, is a specialist fish-eater, catching its prey underwater. It flies with neck outstretched.
The call is a yodelling high-pitched wailing.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Gavia pacifica. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
[edit] Further reading
The following articles deal with separation of Pacific Diver from Black-throated Diver:
- Birch, A. and Lee, C-T, 1997, Field identification of Arctic and Pacific Loons, Birding 29: 106-115.
- Birch, A and Lee, C-T, 1995, Identification of the Pacific Diver - a potential vagrant to Europe, Birding World 8: 458-466.
