Black-throated Loon

Gavia arctica (Linnaeus, 1758)

Black-throated Loon, Gavia arctica, breeds across the Palearctic and North America, from the Arctic into temperate northern and central Eurasia and far western Alaska, and moves in winter to coastal seas of southern Europe and western Asia, as well as Japan and the Korean Peninsula. It is a migratory waterbird of lakes and sheltered coasts. The breeding adult is marked by a dark throat patch, which helps separate it from the Pacific loon, and the throat colour also differs between the two subspecies. It was described by Linnaeus in 1758.

Order

Gaviiformes

Family

Gaviidae — Loons

Breeding range

Palearctic, North America: Arctic to temperate n, c Eurasia and far w Alaska

Nonbreeding range

to coastal s European and w Asia seas; to Japan and Korean Pen.