Great Northern Diver Gavia immer   [Brünnich, 1764]

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

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Order: Gaviiformes Family: Gaviidae
BTO Codes: ND, GRNDI EURING No: 40
Number in Britain: 2500 birds (Winter)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: Not a species of concern
Global: Least Concern ( Details )
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Scarce Breeder, Winter Visitor
Subspecies: Monotypic
.
Length: 80 cm Wingspan: 137 cm Weight: M/F: 4 kg    
Scientific name from: L.: Gavia, a seabird described by Pliny and Icelandic: himbrimi=surf-roarer
World Distribution: BREEDS: Greenland, Iceland, n Scotland, n North America, WINTERS: south to nw Africa, s Europe and s US
Habitat: Lakes, ponds & rivers
Diet: Mostly fish (to 28cm) also large invertebrates, amphibians
TitBit: The eerie, haunting cry of the diver gave rise to their original name - the Loon, which now used by Americans.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: No population trend available
Distribution: No distribution maps available
British Population Size:
    Winter: 2500 individuals in 2004-09     Note: Best estimate
    First Record: 1634
    First Breeding Record: Wester Ross 1970
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Important Non-breeding Population
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 AMBER  
   Races of Concern:
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
    Summer: 700 to 2 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WCA(I), Bern(II), Bonn(II*)
Survey Results:

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 90 x 58 mm Egg Weight: 167.0 g (of which 11 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 0
Clutch Size: 2 eggs
Incubation: 24- 25 days   by the: Male + Female
Fledging: 70 - 77days as: Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 1
Number Ringed: 0 (Annual Totals)
Adult Survival: No data
Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: Typical Lifespan: No data
Maximum Recorded Age: Too few birds ringed
Summary of Ringing Recoveries       

Biometrics

Ring Size: Check with Ringing Unit
Wing Length Adult: Insufficient Data
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Weight Adult: Insufficient Data
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data

Other Names

Common Loon
Gaelic: Muir-bhuachaille Welsh: Trochydd Mawr
Danish: Islom Dutch: IJsduiker
Finnish: Amerikanjääkuikka French: Plongeon imbrin
German: Eistaucher Hungarian: Jeges búvár
Icelandic: Himbrimi Irish: Lóma Mór
Italian: Strolaga maggiore Norwegian: Islom
Polish: Nur lodowiec Portuguese: Mobęlha-grande
Spanish: Colimbo grande Swedish: Islom

For More Information...

Books and Monographs:
   Rankin, N. 1947 The haunts of British divers Collins, London [998 RAN]
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead