Red-throated Loon, Gavia stellata


Red-throated Loon
The red throat and fine black-and-white striped pattern on the neck, plus the uptilted bill, are the best known marks of the Red-throated Loon in breeding plumage, above and below, in ponds on the outskirts of Nome, Alaska, where they nest.


Red-throated Loon, breeding plumage,
A breeding-plumage loon getting airborne after a substantial run.


Red-throated Loons
A pair resident on one of the ponds in the outskirts of Nome.


Red-throated Loon
A Red-throated Loon in non-breeding plumage, wintering off the California coast -- no red throat, but still the up-tilted bill.


Red-throated Loon
Here the bill is pointed down, but the slight upward curvature can still be seen. That helps distinguish the non-breeding Red-throat from the similar Pacific Loon, as does the less definite line between dark and light along the neck, and the less dark feathering on the back.


Red-throated Loon
The bird above and below, in Moss Landing Harbor on Monterey Bay,  is one of the few loons I've seen on
land, and the only one I've photographed there.


Red-throated Loon