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Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata [Pontoppidan, 1763]


Other Names	Trends & Distribution	Breeding & Survival	Biometrics	Books & Links


	Order: Gaviiformes	Family: Gaviidae
	BTO Codes: RH, RETDI	EURING No: 20
	Number in Britain: 1200 pairs (Summer)
	Conservation Status:
	UK: AMBER
	European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Depleted
	Global: Least Concern
Links to: Images Videos Sound

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 Gibbons, D.W. et al. (1997) Bird Study 44:194-205

Winter: 4850 individuals in 1980-86 Baker, H. et al. (2006) British Birds 99:25-44

First Record: 1771 [Fossil evidence from

Results from most recent national breeding survey

Latest Survey: Gibbons, D.W. et al. (1997) Bird Study 44:194-205

Conservation Status: AMBER because Species of European Concern, Eaton, M.A. et al. 2009. British Birds 102:296-341

Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER Gregory, R.D. et al. 2002. British Birds 95:410-448

1996-2001 AMBER Gibbons, D.W. et al. 1996. RSPB Conservation Review 10:7-18

Races of Concern:

Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):

No habitat data from BBS

European Population Size:

Summer: 12 to 42 thousand pairs Bufield, I. & Van Bommel, F. (2004) Birds in Europe. Birdlife International, Cambridge.

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:

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 British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data

Incubation: 26- 29 days

27.21 ± 1.59 (24 - 29.5) N = 478

by the: Female (occ. Male)

Fledging: 47 - 54days

50.46 ± 5.37 (43 - 60) N = 593

as: Precocial, downy Altricial birds remain in the nest, precocial birds leave the nest soon after hatching

Source:

British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data

First Clutches Laid: 12 Mar (19 Feb - 2 May) Joys & Crick 2004 Breeding periods for bird species in England BTO, Thetford

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: 22yr 10m (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: Rødstrubet lom	Dutch: Roodkeelduiker
Finnish: Kaakkuri	French: Plongeon catmarin
German: Sterntaucher	Hungarian: Északi búvár
Icelandic: Lómur	Irish: Lóma Rua
Italian: Strolaga minore	Norwegian: Smålom
Polish: Nur rdzawoszyi	Portuguese: Mobêlha-pequena
Spanish: Colimbo chico	Swedish: Smålom

Local Names: Rain Goose

For More Information...

Selected books on this species [number in square braces is the BTO library classmark, if it is held]

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

Selected scientific papers published 1980-2005

Find more papers on Google Scholar

Find more papers on Scirus


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These data should be cited as: Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.24, June 2009). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)		© British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK. Terms and Conditions \| Privacy Statement Registered Charity Number 216652.
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