Features& Description
The Red-throated Loon, from its Latin name “Gavia stellata”, is the smallest of the loons (gaviidae), with a wingspan of 110 cm and a length of 67 cm.
Its fine beak is slightly upturned, its eye is red, and its neck plumage is quite extensive white, with gray on the back and the back of the head during the breeding season.
Its breeding plumage is very distinctive, with a large rufous patch on the front of the neck and gray and white stripes on the shoulders.
In flight, it holds its neck and legs taut, flapping its wings rapidly and widely.
Habitat(Biotope)
The Red-throated Loon is an aquatic bird that takes over a lake or pond without competition from other members of its species, except in pairs.
In winter, it prefers lake basins that are still wet.
Behavior& habits
The Red-throated Loon, as its name suggests, dives very often after a long wait, with the front of its head in the water.
It feeds mainly on fish, remaining apneic for more than a minute.
It has a habit of raising and lowering its head as if to test its eyesight, like an owl.
Reproductionand immature
The Red-throated Loon is a monogamous bird, often nesting in the same nest as in previous years.
The nest is built on the ground in grassy areas from aquatic plants and mosses.
The female lays between 1 and 3 eggs, which she incubates until they hatch after 27 days.
Juveniles spend more than 3 weeks on the pond with their parents, waiting for food brought back by the two adults.
Cryor Voice
The Red-throated Loon emits a sonorous, monotonous “cuck-cuck-cuck” cackle in flight.
Its song is a sonorous duet between the male and female. Some slightly briefer calls are reminiscent of a fox’s yelp.
In winter, the Red-throated Loon is silent.
The Catmarine Diver
Catmarine Diver 2
