Red-throated loon
Gavia stellata (Pontoppidan, 1763)
The red-throated loon (Gavia stellata) is a medium-sized bird in the family Gaviidae and the order Gaviiformes. It is a migratory, aquatic carnivore of wetland habitats, classed as an aquatic predator.
Quick facts about the red-throated loon
Adults weigh 1.486 kg, with reported values from 1.477 to 1.729 kg, and the wingspan is 1.04 m. It lays 2 eggs per clutch, one clutch per year, with an incubation period of 27.5 days, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
- Weight
- 1.48 kg – 1.73 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- 55 cm – 67 cmsrc for Length
- Wingspan
- 1.04 msrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 23.6 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 23.7 years
- Main food
- vertebratessrc for Main food
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 27.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2.74 years – 3 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Lifestyle
- Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the red-throated loon?
Photos of the red-throated loon
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the red-throated loon live?
Not recorded
What is the red-throated loon?
The red-throated loon (North America) or red-throated diver (Britain and Ireland) (Gavia stellata) is a migratory aquatic bird found in the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed member of the loon or diver family, it breeds primarily in Arctic regions, and it winters in northern coastal waters. Ranging from 55 to 67 centimetres (22 to 26 in) in length, the red-throated loon is the smallest and lightest of the world's loons. In winter, it is a nondescript bird, greyish above, fading to white below. During the breeding season, it acquires the distinctive reddish throat patch, which is the basis for its common name. Fish form the bulk of its diet, though amphibians, invertebrates, and plant material are sometimes eaten as well. A monogamous species, red-throated loons form long-term pair bonds. Both members of the pair help to build the nest, incubate the eggs (generally two per clutch), and feed the hatched young.
The red-throated loon has a large global population and a significant global range, though some populations are declining. Oil spills, habitat degradation, pollution, and fishing nets are among the major threats this species faces. Natural predators—including various gull species, and both red and Arctic foxes, will take eggs and young. The species is protected by international treaties.
From the Wikipedia article “Red-throated loon” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red-throated_loon&oldid=1380702164), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the red-throated loon endangered?
The red-throated loon is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the red-throated loon classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderGaviiformes
- familyGaviidae
- genusGavia
- SpeciesGavia stellata (Pontoppidan, 1763)
Synonyms Colymbus rufogularis, Colymbus septentrionalis, Colymbus stellatus, Gavia lumme, Gavia septentrionalis, Plotus claudicanus, Urinator bailloni, Urinator lumme, Urinator stellatus, Urinator striatus
Other names and names in other languages (107)
- Cape drakeEnglish
- Cape raceEnglish
- Cape-racerEnglish
- CarbreastEnglish
- CaybraceEnglish
- CorbraceEnglish
- CorbrusEnglish
- Peggin'-awl loonEnglish
- Red-throated diverEnglish
- Red-throated diverEnglish
- Red-throated diverEnglish
- ScapegraceEnglish
- غواص أحمر الحنجرةArabic
- calónAsturian
- Calón GrandeAsturian
- Qırmızıdöş qaqarAzerbaijani
- Гагач чырвонаваллёвыBelarusian
- Гагара чырвонаваллёваяBelarusian
- Чырвонаваллёвы гагачBelarusian
- Червеногуш гмуркачBulgarian
- Splujer gouzoug ruzBreton
- Cabussó PetitCatalan
- calàbria petitaCatalan
- Якшар шӱӓн тыктыMari
- Хӗрлӗ пӗсехеллӗ гагараChuvash
- potáplice maláCzech
- trochydd gyddfgochWelsh
- Trochyddion GyddfgochWelsh
- rødstrubet lomDanish
- SterntaucherGerman
- NordseetaucherGerman
- ΚηλιδοβούτιGreek
- ruĝgorĝa gavioEsperanto
- Ruĝgorĝa kolimboEsperanto
- Colimbo chicoSpanish
- Colimbo menorSpanish
- punakurk-kaurEstonian
- Aliota txikiBasque
- Aliota txikiaBasque
- غواص گلوسرخPersian
- kaakkuriFinnish
- KaakuriFinnish
- øsreyður lómurFaroese
- Plongeon catmarinFrench
- StäärdükerNorthern Frisian
- Lytse SeedûkerWestern Frisian
- lóma ruaScottish Gaelic
- learga chaolScottish Gaelic
- learga mhòrScottish Gaelic
- learga ruadhScottish Gaelic
- leargan caolaScottish Gaelic
- leargan mòraScottish Gaelic
- leargan ruadhaScottish Gaelic
- Mobella pequenaGalician
- Lhargey MooarManx
- Lhargey yiargManx
- צוללן אדום גרוןHebrew
- צוללן אדום-גרוןHebrew
- crvenogrli plijenorCroatian
- Crvenovrati plijenorCroatian
- északi búvárHungarian
- Սուզահավ կարմրախածիArmenian
- KoksauInuktitut
- LómurIcelandic
- strolaga minoreItalian
- アビJapanese
- წითელყელა ღარიხვაGeorgian
- QarsaaqKalaallisut
- QarssaqKalaallisut
- Қаражемсаулы гагараKazakh
- Қызылжемсаулы гагараKazakh
- 아비Korean
- Sedhor conna ruthCornish
- StärendaucherLuxembourgish
- rudakaklis narasLithuanian
- brūnkakla gārgaleLatvian
- мал морски нуркачMacedonian
- Обичен северен нуркачMacedonian
- Bugħaddas tal-MaltempMaltese
- Улаан омруут ахуунаMongolian
- roodkeelduikerDutch
- nur rdzawoszyiPolish
- mobelha-pequenaPortuguese
- Mobêlha-pequenaPortuguese
- Sfunsella stailadaRomansh
- Cufundar micRomanian
- cufundar guşă-roşieRomanian
- Гагара краснозобаяRussian
- краснозобая гагараRussian
- GáhkkorNorthern Sami
- potáplica maláSlovak
- Potáplica štíhlozobáSlovak
- Rdecegrli slapnikSlovenian
- rdečegrli slapnikSlovenian
- nori gushëkuqAlbanian
- Riđogrli morski gnjuracSerbian
- Риђогрли морски гњурацSerbian
- Krivokljuni morski gnjurac - Кривокљуни морски гњурацSerbian
- smålomSwedish
- kizilgerdan dalgicTurkish
- Kızıl Gerdanlı DalgıçTurkish
- kızılgerdan dalgıçTurkish
- Кызыл боостаалыг онгукTuvinian
- Чорношия гагараUkrainian
- Гагара червоношияUkrainian
- 紅喉潛鳥Chinese
- 红喉潜鸟Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the red-throated loon
Other species in the same genus Gavia.
Black-throated loon
Gavia arctica
Common loon
Gavia immer
Yellow-billed loon
Gavia adamsii
Pacific loon
Gavia pacifica
CompareRed-throated loon vs Black-throated loonRed-throated loon vs Common loonRed-throated loon vs Yellow-billed loonRed-throated loon vs Pacific loon
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the red-throated loon?
The red-throated loon is a medium-sized bird in the family Gaviidae, order Gaviiformes.
How heavy is the red-throated loon?
Adults weigh 1.486 kg, with reported values from 1.477 to 1.729 kg. Its wingspan is 1.04 m.
What does the red-throated loon eat?
It is an aquatic predator and a carnivore.
What habitat does the red-throated loon use?
It lives in wetland habitats and has an aquatic lifestyle. It is migratory.
Is the red-throated loon endangered?
No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the red-throated loon live?
Its lifespan is 23.58 years, with values up to 23.7 years reported.
How many eggs does the red-throated loon lay?
It lays 2 eggs per clutch and has 1 clutch per year, with an incubation period of 27.5 days. Sexual maturity comes at 2.9 years.
Who named the red-throated loon?
Its scientific name, Gavia stellata, is credited to (Pontoppidan, 1763).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Red-throated loon (Gavia stellata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-throated-loon
“Red-throated loon (Gavia stellata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-throated-loon.
@misc{red_throated_loon_2026,
title = {Red-throated loon (Gavia stellata)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-throated-loon},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}