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Red-throated Loon
Loons & Divers · Long-distance Migrant

Red-throated Loon

Red-throated Diver · Gavia stellata

Least Concern53–69 cm · 1000–2500 g

By the Birdfact teamChecked byNathan Cope

A master of both air and water, this agile diver plunges beneath Arctic waves in summer and graces coastal waters worldwide come winter.
On this page12 sections
  1. How to recognise it
  2. Its size
  3. Its song and calls
  4. When and where to see it
  5. What it eats
  6. Nesting and breeding
  7. Behaviour
  8. Conservation
  9. Similar birds
  10. More photos
  11. Quick facts
  12. Sources

How to recognise it

The Red-throated Loon is a sleek, medium-sized waterbird with distinctive breeding plumage. Its back is grey with white speckles, which contrast with its white underside and striking red throat patch.

In winter, the red throat disappears, replaced by a white neck and grey head. Juveniles resemble winter adults but have finer white speckling on their backs.

Its size

Adults
Length
53–69 cm
Wingspan
106–116 cm
Weight
1000–2500 g

Its song and calls

Red-throated Loons have a variety of vocalisations, including a distinctive yodelling call used during the breeding season. This call sounds like a series of loud, wailing 'kwow-kwow-kwow' notes.

In flight, they produce a repeated 'gag-gag-gag' sound, reminiscent of a goose's honk.

When and where to see it

OctoberArriving

Arriving in 13 placesLast month in 1 place

Most recorded in October

  1. 1. Moray1.3%
  2. 2. Wicklow1.0%
  3. 3. Orkney Islands0.92%
  4. 4. Aberdeen0.89%
  5. 5. Fife0.88%

Each dot is a county, state or province: the bigger and darker, the larger the bird’s share of that place’s bird records that month. Grey dots: no regular records. The ringed point is the centre of the bird’s records this month; the arrow shows how it moved since last month, and the dashed loop its path through the year. “Arrivals” colours places where it becomes regular this month (orange) or is in its last regular month (grey). GBIF eBird Observation Dataset, 2019–2024. Map data: Natural Earth, US Census Bureau; place centres © OpenStreetMap contributors.

In your area

See when the Red-throated Loon is recorded in your county, state or province.

or

How often the Red-throated Loon turns up in the UK, Ireland, the United States and Canada through the year, from birdwatchers' records.

United Kingdom

Resident · all year · most records in October

Ireland

Winter visitor · regularly Jul–May · most records in November

United States

Winter visitor · all year · most records in November

Canada

Winter visitor · all year · most records in November

Regularly recordedOccasionalBar height: share of all bird records that month
Show as a table
MonthUnited KingdomIrelandUnited StatesCanada
January0.16% (regular)0.37% (regular)0.11% (regular)0.061% (regular)
February0.14% (regular)0.38% (regular)0.087% (regular)0.040% (regular)
March0.096% (regular)0.35% (regular)0.062% (regular)0.031% (regular)
April0.065% (regular)0.25% (regular)0.029% (regular)0.027% (regular)
May0.063% (regular)0.048% (regular)0.014% (regular)0.035% (regular)
June0.061% (regular)0.020%0.026% (regular)0.043% (regular)
July0.065% (regular)0.027% (regular)0.008% (regular)0.031% (regular)
August0.058% (regular)0.039% (regular)0.008% (regular)0.033% (regular)
September0.16% (regular)0.18% (regular)0.012% (regular)0.082% (regular)
October0.23% (regular)0.25% (regular)0.033% (regular)0.14% (regular)
November0.22% (regular)0.46% (regular)0.11% (regular)0.19% (regular)
December0.16% (regular)0.35% (regular)0.10% (regular)0.12% (regular)

Worldwide: recorded regularly in 47 countries

Countries where it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024. Linked countries have their own bird list.

Europe (38)
Asia (4)
North America (5)

Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made

Download citations (7)

Tips for seeing it

  • Look for them in coastal areas during the winter months
  • Listen for their distinctive yodelling call during the breeding season
  • Observe their low, direct flight pattern over water
  • In the UK, watch for them at estuaries and sheltered bays from autumn to spring

What it eats

Red-throated Loons primarily feed on small fish, which they catch by diving and pursuing underwater. Their diet also includes crustaceans, molluscs, and aquatic insects.

Unlike other loons, they often forage in very shallow water, sometimes in areas only 20-30 cm deep.

Nesting and breeding

Red-throated Loons form monogamous pairs and return to the same breeding sites annually. The breeding season typically begins in May or June, depending on the latitude.

Nests are built close to water, often on small islands or shorelines of ponds. The female usually lays two olive-brown eggs with dark spots. Both parents share incubation duties.

Incubation lasts about 24-29 days, and the chicks fledge after 6-7 weeks. Parents often carry small fish in their bills to feed the young, a behaviour unique among loons.

Behaviour

Red-throated Loons are excellent swimmers and divers, propelling themselves underwater with their feet. They have a unique ability among loons to take off directly from land, albeit with some difficulty.

During the breeding season, pairs engage in synchronised swimming and calling displays.

Conservation

While currently listed as Least Concern globally, Red-throated Loons face threats from oil spills, fishing net entanglement, and habitat disturbance. 

Climate change impacts on their Arctic breeding grounds are a growing concern, prompting ongoing monitoring efforts.

Similar birds

Often mistaken for

More photos

5 photos

Quick facts

Length
53–69 cm
Wingspan
106–116 cm
Weight
1000–2500 g
Lifespan
8–10 years · oldest recorded 35.9 years
Family
Loons & Divers
Migration
Long-distance Migrant
Global status (IUCN)
Least Concern
World population
200,000 - 600,000 individuals
Population trend
Some populations decreasing due to habitat loss and other threats
Also called
Red-throated Diver
Scientific name
Gavia stellata

Sources

4
  1. 1BirdLife International. 2018. Gavia stellata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22697829A131942584. Source (opens in a new tab)
  2. 2Wetlands International (2015)
  3. 3Wetlands International (2015)
  4. 4BTO longevity records: maximum age from a ringed bird, 35 years, 11 months, 23 days (set in 2018), BirdFacts: Red-throated Diver (2018) Source (opens in a new tab)
Spotted a mistake?Tell usHow we write and checkBy the Birdfact team · Updated

Checked by

Nathan Cope, founder and editor

Nathan founded Birdfact and leads its writers and contributors in the UK, the US and Canada. He has watched and studied birds for more than ten years, and checks every article and species guide before it’s published.

How we write and checkAbout Nathan