Bird Guide

Red-throated Loon

Gavia stellata ORDER: GAVIIFORMES FAMILY: GAVIIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

The smallest of the loons, the Red-throated Loon breeds at high latitudes in North America and Eurasia. It is distinctive among loons not only in size, but also in behavior, vocalizations, locomotion, and other aspects of life history.

Calls

Plesiosaur duet, wail

Recorded by Gerrit Vyn
Alaska June 2007
Wail

Recorded by Michael J. Andersen
Alaska June 2006
Quack/Quark

Recorded by Michael J. Andersen
Alaska June 2006
Quack/Quark

Recorded by Gerrit Vyn
Alaska June 2007
Quack in flight

Recorded by Michael J. Andersen
Alaska June 2007
Quack in flight

Recorded by Brian J. McCaffery
Alaska January 2006
Growl, takeoff by pair

Recorded by Gerrit Vyn
Alaska June 2007

Macaulay Library

Calls include a simple wail covering a wide range of pitches, and a complex, unnerving "roll-growl."

Other

Splash dive

Recorded by Michael J. Andersen
Alaska June 2008

Macaulay Library

Search the Macaulay Library online archive for more sounds and videos

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