Red-Throated Loon
| Class: Aves: Birds |
Diet: Fish |
| Order:
Gaviiformes: Divers |
| Size: 53
- 69 cm (21 - 27 in) |
| Family: Gaviidae:
Loons |
Conservation Status:
Non-threatened |
| Scientific Name:
Gavia stellata |
Habitat: lakes, ponds,
seas |
| Range:
Circumpolar: North America, Northern Europe, Northern Asia |
 The
red-throated loon has a thin grebe-like bill and a reddish throat patch
at breeding time; in winter its back is spotted with white, and its head
is gray and white. Like the others in the family, the red-throated loon
flies strongly and, because it is smaller than other species, takes off
from the water more easily. After a courtship display of bill-dipping and
diving, the female lays 1 to 3 eggs in a heap of moss or other vegetation
or in a shallow dip in the ground. Both parents share the 24- to 29-day
incubation of the clutch and feed the young.
  
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