|
|
 | |
Profiles
Red-throated Loon
(Gavia stellata)
Photo © Kevin T. Karlson, Rio Grande, NJ
|
Smallest of the five species of loons, the Red-throated loon is 24 - 27 inches long with a wingspan of nearly four feet. Chicks are charcoal black. Adults are a muted gray in winter, but spring molting transforms these plain birds with distinctive markings: a gray head, brown back, white breast and deep red throat patch. These birds nest in the ponds of the Arctic Refuge. They are extremely susceptible to oil, which destroys their feather's insulation. Oil development off shore, in the Beaufort Sea north of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge poses a threat to these sea birds.
Photo © Kevin T. Karlson, Rio Grande, NJ
|
Migration:
Across Canada to overwinter on the east coast of the U.S., as far south as Florida. Others overwinter on the Pacific coast, as far south as Baja and northwestern Mexico.
Maximum migration: 7,000 miles
Altitude: unknown
Four page factsheet:
To OPEN the files in Adobe Acrobat: If you have the Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in and wish to open the factsheet, click here.
To SAVE the files to your hard drive: If you prefer to simply save the factsheet to your PC to view at a later time, point your mouse at this link and click on the right mouse button. In Netscape, choose "Save Link As..." from the menu. In Internet Explorer, choose "Save Target As..."
Back to Profiles Index
| | | |
 | |
|
