Red-throated Diver or Red-throated Loon ( G. stellata ), the smallest living Gavia species.

The Red-throated Loon or Red-throated Diver ( Gavia stellata ) is a migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere.

Ranging from in length, the Red-throated Loon is the smallest and lightest of the world's loons.

A monogamous species, the Red-throated Loon forms long-term pair bonds.

The Red-throated Loon has a large global population and a significant global range, though some populations are declining.

First described by Danish naturalist Erik Pontoppidan in 1763, the Red-throated Loon is a monotypic species, with no distinctive subspecies despite its large Holarctic range.

By 1788, however, German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster realized that grebes and loons were different enough to warrant separate genera, and moved the Red-throated Loon ( along with all other loon species ) to its present genus.

The Red-throated Loon is the smallest and lightest of the world's loon species, ranging from in length with a wingspan, and weighing.

Like the other members of its genus, the Red-throated Loon is well-adapted to its aquatic environment: its dense bones help it to submerge, its legs — in their set-back position — provide excellent propulsion and its body is long and streamlined.

When it first emerges from its egg, the young Red-throated Loon is covered with fine soft down feathers.

alt = diagram of silhouette of Red-throated Loon in flight

In flight, the Red-throated Loon has a distinctive profile ; its small feet do not project far past the end of its body, its head and neck droop below the horizontal ( giving the flying bird a distinctly hunchbacked shape ) and its thin wings are angled back.

The adult Red-throated Loon has a number of vocalisations, which are used in different circumstances.

At medium to close range, an adult Red-throated Loon in either breeding or non-breeding plumage is usually easily recognised.

The Red-throated Loon breeds primarily in the Arctic regions of northern Eurasia and North America ( generally north of 50 ° N latitude ), and winters in northern coastal waters, sometimes in groups of considerable size.

Because its feet are located so far back on its body, the Red-throated Loon is quite clumsy walking on land ; however, it can use its feet to shove itself forward on its breast.

The Red-throated Loon is a diurnal migrant, which travels singly or in loose groups, often high above the water.

Like all members of its family, the Red-throated Loon goes through a simultaneous wing moult, losing all its flight feathers at once and becoming flightless for a period of 3 – 4 weeks.

However, unlike other loons — which undergo this moult in late winter — the Red-throated Loon loses its ability to fly sometime between late summer and late autumn.

Like all members of its family, the Red-throated Loon is primarily a fish-eater, though it sometimes feeds on molluscs, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic invertebrates, insects, fish spawn or even plant material.

The Red-throated Loon is a monogamous species which forms long-term pair bonds.

If a clutch is lost ( to predation or flooding, for example ) before the young hatch, the Red-throated Loon usually lays a second clutch, generally in a new nest.

In the wild, the oldest known Red-throated Loon lived for more than two decades ; it was found, oiled and dead, on a beach in Sweden 23 years and 7 months after it had been ringed ( banded ).

The genus is known from the Early Miocene onwards, and the oldest members them are rather small ( some are smaller than the Red-throated Diver ).

Although the Red-throated Loon is not a globally threatened species, as it has a large population and a significant range, there are populations which appear to be declining.

The Red-throated Loon is susceptible to avian influenza and Type E botulism, and is regularly killed by the ingestion of neurotoxins produced by " red tide " algal blooms.

Used as a food source since prehistoric times, the Red-throated Loon is still hunted by indigenous peoples in some parts of the world today.

The Red-throated Wryneck, Jynx ruficollis, is a species of wryneck in the woodpecker family.

It is similar to the Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus, which is more heavily streaked and ( in summer only ) has an orange-red throat, and to the Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis, which is slightly larger, less heavily streaked, and has stronger facial markings and a shorter hind claw.

Eggs as well as birds are taken, sometimes in significant numbers ; during one study on northern Canada's Igloolik Island, 73 percent of all Red-throated Loon eggs laid within the 10 km < sup > 2 </ sup > ( 3. 9 mi < sup > 2 </ sup >) study site over two breeding seasons were collected by indigenous inhabitants of the island.

The social structures of the Red-throated Bee-eater and the White-fronted Bee-eaters have been described as " the most complex of any bird species anywhere in the world ".

Its fish diet increases the Red-throated Loon's vulnerability to persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals, both of which bioaccumulate, thus potentially causing greater problems for long-lived species ( such as the loon ) at or near the top of the food chain.

The Taiga Flycatcher or Red-throated Flycatcher ( Ficedula albicilla ) is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.

Thirdly, in 2006, a further 17 species were dropped from the list: Ferruginous Duck, Wilson ’ s Petrel, Great White Egret, Black Kite, Red-footed Falcon, American Golden Plover, White-rumped Sandpiper, White-winged Black Tern, Alpine Swift, Red-rumped Swallow, Red-throated Pipit, Subalpine Warbler, Greenish Warbler, Dusky Warbler, Radde's Warbler, Arctic Redpoll and Rustic Bunting.

The Red-throated Pipit ( Anthus cervinus ) is a small passerine bird which breeds in the far north of Europe and Asia, with a foothold in northern Alaska.

A. gustavi is a small pipit, which somewhat resembles the non-breeding Red-throated Pipit.

Specials: Anchieta's Tchagra, Moustached Grass-Warbler, Red-winged Warbler, Black-winged Bishop, Red-faced Crimsonwing, Lesser Seedcracker, Singing Cisticola, Twinspot Indigobird which parasitizes the Red-throated Twinspot, Scarce Swift, Pallid Honeyguide, Green-backed Woodpecker, Stripe-cheeked Greenbul, Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, White-eared Barbet, Pale Batis, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Variable Sunbird, Bronzy Sunbird, Olive Sunbird, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Grey Waxbill, Blue-spotted Wood-Dove, Black-fronted Bush-Shrike.

Birds found on the islands include Atlantic Puffin, Storm-petrel, Red-throated Diver, Northern Gannet and Bonxie.

* Red-throated Loon photos on Philadelphia's Academy of Natural Sciences's Visual Resources for Ornithology website

* Red-throated Loon videos on Handbook of Birds of the World's Internet Bird Collection website

* Red-throated Loon sound recordings on xeno-canto. org's website