Status in UK:
(A) Migrant/Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies:
Monotypic
.
Length:
61 cm
Wingspan:
111 cm
Weight:
M/F: 1.6 kg
Scientific name from:
L.: Gavia, a seabird described by Pliny
and L.: stellaris=starry
World Distribution:
BREEDS: n Eurasia & n North America, WINTERS: south to s Europe, se China and s US
Habitat:
Shallow ponds & lakes
Diet:
Primarily fish, captured by seizing in bill, also frogs, large invertebrates
TitBit:
In Shetland this bird was considered one of the best weather indicators, short cries (or flying inland) indicated fine weather, long, plaintive ones (or flying out to sea) wet weather
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
Wider Countryside Report
Regional Trends:
No regional trends available
Distribution:
No distribution maps available
British Population Size:
Summer:
935 to 1500 pairs
in 1994
Winter:
4850 individuals
in 1980-86
First Record:
1771
[Fossil evidence from
Latest Survey:
Gibbons, D.W. et al. (1997) Bird Study 44:194-205
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
Summer:
12 to 42 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WCA(I), WBD(I), Bern(II), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results:
BirdTrack
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
75 x 46 mm
Egg Weight:
83.0 g (of which 8 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
55
(more would be welcome!)
Clutch Size:
2 eggs
1.80 ± 0.40 (1 - 3) N = 478
Incubation:
26 - 29 days
27.21 ± 1.59 (24 - 30) N = 478
by the:
Female (occ. Male)
Fledging:
47 - 54 days
50.46 ± 5.37 (43 - 60) N = 593
as:
Precocial, downy
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data
First Clutches Laid:
12 Mar (19 Feb - 2 May)
Number of Broods:
1
Trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed:
131
Adult Survival:
No data
Juvenile Survival:
No data
Age at First Breeding:
2
years
Typical Lifespan:
No data
Maximum Recorded Age:
22yr10m
(Sweden: 23yr 7m)
Biometrics
Ring Size:
Ke*
Wing Length
Adult:
289.9 ± 9.7
Range
279 - 304 mm, N =21
Juvenile:
Insufficient Data.
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Weight
Adult:
1.68 ± 0.21
Range
1.43 - 2.03 kg , N =20
Juvenile:
Insufficient Data.
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Red-throated Loon
Gaelic:
Learga-ruadh
Welsh:
Trochydd Gyddfgoch
Danish:
Rřdstrubet lom
Dutch:
Roodkeelduiker
Finnish:
Kaakkuri
French:
Plongeon catmarin
German:
Sterntaucher
Hungarian:
Északi búvár
Icelandic:
Lómur
Irish:
Lóma Rua
Italian:
Strolaga minore
Norwegian:
Smĺlom
Polish:
Nur rdzawoszyi
Portuguese:
Mobęlha-pequena
Spanish:
Colimbo chico
Swedish:
Smĺlom
Local Names: Rain Goose
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Rankin, N. 1947 The haunts of British divers Collins, London
[998 RAN]
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Wikipedia entry
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides.com
These data should be cited as: Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.22, Oct 2008). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)
button; for sources point at the 
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Other Names
