Red-throated Loon

Gavia stellata

The least common of the four regularly occurring loon species in the Pribilofs, this species has been seen with increasing frequency in recent years though it is still considered less-than-annual in the islands. Sightings of this species are widely scattered from May to October, with the most records coming during late spring/early summer and late fall. The beginning of this species’ early season occurrence period starts about June 10th going through June 30th, with only a couple summer arrivals after June. This species does however have a tendency to linger from spring into the summer, and at times even to the fall. The earliest fall record is from August, with the vast majority of records from the second half of September and early October. This correlates strongly with other species of loons. There is a single wintertime record from late November, though that is likely a product of coverage as individuals are likely to arrive or linger into the early winter period on occasion.

The first known nesting attempt by this species in the Pribilofs occurred in summer 2013 (27 June-23 July), though the attempt appeared to be a failure as the nest was abandoned and no chicks or fledglings were ever noted. This is the first documented attempt by any species of loon to nest in the islands.

Photo by Ryan P. O’Donnell
Photo by Ryan P. O’Donnell
Photo by Ryan P. O’Donnell