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Home/Species/ Pacific Loon

Gavia pacifica

(Lawrence, 1858)

Pacific Loon

G5Secure Found in 44 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100814
Element CodeABNBA01050
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderGaviiformes
FamilyGaviidae
GenusGavia
Other Common Names
Colimbo Pacífico (ES) Plongeon du Pacifique (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Frequently regarded as a subspecies of G. arctica, but currently considered a distinct species (AOU 1985, 1998).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-07
Change Date1996-11-20
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Range Extent Comments
BREEDS: eastern Siberia from Arctic coast south to Anadyrland; Arctic coast of Alaska and Canada east to Baffin Island, south to southern Alaska, southwestern Yukon, northern Manitoba, and northwestern Quebec. WINTERS: south to Japan and along Pacific coast of North America south to Baja California and southern Sonora. In North America, areas of highest winter density include British Columbia around Vancouver Island, Monterey Bay in California, and near Point Whiteshed in Alaska (Root 1988). Casual/uncommon migrant inland in western U.S., very rare on east coast (NGS 1983).
Ecology & Habitat

Description

See Stallcup (1994) for information on identification of North American loons.

Diagnostic Characteristics

G. ARCTICA has more white on the flanks at the waterline than does G. PACIFICA (see McCaskie et al. 1990, Roberson 1989, and Schulenberg 1989 for further details).

Habitat

Nonbreeding: primarily seacoasts, bays and estuaries, less frequently on lakes and rivers (AOU 1983). In winter off central California, generally stays 2-8 km offshore (see Root 1988). In spring in southern California, migrants may be attracted to cool waters near the frontal boundaries of upwelling plumes, where loon prey is attracted by concentrations of zooplankton (Russell and Lehman 1994).

Nests on lakes/ponds in tundra or taiga. Usually nests on largest pond available (0.2-21 ha in one study area); selects ponds with islands or wet grassy areas. Nests on ground in scrape or on mound of material on ground in or very near water. Prefers to nest on island or at end of point extending into water (Johnson and Herter 1989).

Ecology

Occurs singly, in pairs, or small groups. In winter off California, usually solitary or in pairs. Overall breeding density on arctic coastal plain estimated at about 1 pair per 200 ha; 5 nests observed on 1 pond of 21 ha (Johnsgard 1987). Egg predation by foxes, jaegers, and gulls sometimes is significant.

Reproduction

Breeding begins in early May in south, to mid-June in north. Both adults, in turn, incubate usually 2 eggs, 28-29 days. Hatching occurs in second half of July around Beaufort Sea (Johnson and Herter 1989). Young are tended by both parents, first fly at about 2 months, independent by about 3 months. Pair-bond apparently is life-long. Nest density is up to 2.6 per sq km in Alaska (Johnson and Herter 1989).
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5B,N3N
ProvinceRankNative
Yukon TerritoryS4BYes
AlbertaSUBYes
Northwest TerritoriesS5Yes
QuebecS3BYes
SaskatchewanS3MYes
NunavutS5BYes
OntarioS3BYes
ManitobaS4BYes
British ColumbiaS4B,S3NYes
United StatesN5B,N4N
ProvinceRankNative
AlaskaS5B,S4NYes
CaliforniaSNRNYes
VermontSNAYes
MinnesotaSNRMYes
ArizonaS1NYes
AlabamaSNAYes
New MexicoS4NYes
Navajo NationS1NYes
UtahSNAYes
IllinoisSNAYes
North CarolinaSNAYes
WashingtonS4NYes
TexasS2NYes
IdahoSNAYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)
11.1 - Habitat shifting & alterationPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)

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Roadless Areas (44)
Alaska (31)
AreaForestAcres
ChichagofTongass National Forest555,858
Chilkat-West Lynn CanalTongass National Forest199,772
ClevelandTongass National Forest189,447
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
Douglas IslandTongass National Forest28,065
FanshawTongass National Forest48,248
GravinaTongass National Forest37,381
Johnson PassChugach National Forest152,508
Juneau UrbanTongass National Forest101,581
Juneau-Skagway IcefieldTongass National Forest1,187,268
KekuTongass National Forest10,869
Kenai LakeChugach National Forest213,172
LindenbergTongass National Forest25,855
Mansfield PeninsulaTongass National Forest54,991
MissionaryTongass National Forest16,675
North BaranofTongass National Forest314,089
North KruzofTongass National Forest33,146
North KupreanofTongass National Forest114,660
Port AlexanderTongass National Forest120,681
Prince William Sound Is.Chugach National Forest118,698
RedoubtTongass National Forest68,347
ResurrectionChugach National Forest224,615
RevillaTongass National Forest29,298
RhineTongass National Forest23,010
Sitka SoundTongass National Forest13,459
Sitka UrbanTongass National Forest112,003
South KruzofTongass National Forest55,193
SpiresTongass National Forest533,746
Taku-SnettishamTongass National Forest664,928
Upper SitukTongass National Forest16,789
Windham-Port HoughtonTongass National Forest161,952
California (1)
AreaForestAcres
Horse Mdw.Inyo National Forest5,687
Idaho (1)
AreaForestAcres
Borah PeakSalmon-Challis National Forest130,463
Montana (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLolo National Forest118,485
Cube Iron - SilcoxLolo National Forest36,998
Oregon (2)
AreaForestAcres
Mt. JeffersonDeschutes National Forest2,282
Umpqua SpitSiuslaw National Forest2,090
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
418027Uinta National Forest13,884
Washington (5)
AreaForestAcres
Blue SlideWenatchee National Forest17,505
Goat Rocks AdjWenatchee National Forest6,108
Grassy TopIdaho Panhandle National Forests13,485
Grassy TopColville National Forest10,302
Salmo - Priest BColville National Forest11,869
Wyoming (1)
AreaForestAcres
Sheep MountainMedicine Bow-Routt National Forest17,626
References (26)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1985. Thirty-fifth Supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 102:680-686.
  3. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  4. Andres, B. A. 1993. Foraging flights of Pacific, <i>Gavia pacifica</i>, and Red-throated, <i>G. stellata</i>, Loons on Alaska's Coastal Plain. Canadian Field-Naturalist 107:238-240.
  5. Barr, J. F., C. Eberl, and J. W. McIntyre. 2000. Red-throated Loon (<i>Gavia stellata</i>). No. 513 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors, The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 28pp.
  6. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  7. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
  8. Johnsgard, P. A. 1987. Diving birds of North America. Univ. Nebraska Press, Lincoln. xii + 292 pp.
  9. Johnson, S. R. and D. R. Herter. 1989. The Birds of the Beaufort Sea. BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., Anchorage, Alaska. 372 pp.
  10. McCaskie, G., et al. 1990. Notes on identifying arctic and Pacific loons in alternate plumage. Birding 22:70-73.
  11. McIntyre, J. W. 1988a. The common loon: spirit of northern lakes. Univ. Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. x + 200 pp.
  12. Merrie, T. D. H. 1978. Relationship between spatial distribution of breeding divers and the availability of fishing waters. Bird Study 25:119-122.
  13. Oberholser, H.C. 1974. The bird life of Texas. 2 vols. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin.
  14. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  15. Peterson, R.T. 1980b. A field guide to the birds of eastern and central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  16. Peterson, R.T. 1990b. A field guide to western birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  17. Poole, A. F. and F. B. Gill. 1992. The birds of North America. The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. and The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA.
  18. Roberson, D. 1989. More on Pacific versus arctic loons. Birding 21:154-157.
  19. Root, T. 1988. Atlas of wintering North American birds: An analysis of Christmas Bird Count data. University of Chicago Press. 336 pp.
  20. Russell, R. W., and P. E. Lehman. 1994. Spring migration of Pacific loons through the Southern California Bight: nearshore flights, seasonal timing and distribution at sea. Condor 96:300-315.
  21. Schulenberg, T. 1989. More on Pacific versus arctic loons. Birding 21:157-158.
  22. Scott, S. L. 1983. Field guide to the birds of North America. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.
  23. Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  24. Sjolander, S., and G. Agren. 1972. Reproductive behavior of the common loon. Wilson Bulletin. 84:296-308.
  25. Stallcup, R. 1994. Focus: loons. Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Fall 1994, pp. 6-7.
  26. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.