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Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2004 | Least Concern |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 5,170,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 5,170,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | Estimated | 2009 | |
| Population trend | Decreasing | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 9.8 | - | - | - |
| Population justification: The global population is estimated to number c.200,000-590,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2006), while national population estimates include: <c.50 individuals on migration and <c.50 wintering individuals in China, <c.1,000 wintering individuals in Taiwan (China), c.50-10,000 wintering individuals in Japan and c.10,000-100,000 breeding pairs and c.1,000-10,000 wintering individuals in Russia (Brazil 2009). | ||||
| Trend justification: The overall population trend is decreasing, although some populations may be stable and others have unknown trends (Wetlands International 2006). This species has had stable population trends over the last 40 years in North America (data from Breeding Bird Survey and/or Christmas Bird Count: Butcher and Niven 2007). | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | Unknown | No | |||
| Algeria | Vagrant | No | |||
| Armenia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Austria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Azerbaijan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Bahamas | Unknown | No | |||
| Belarus | Vagrant | No | |||
| Belgium | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Vagrant | No | |||
| Bulgaria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Canada | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| China (mainland) | Native | No | |||
| Croatia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Czech Republic | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Denmark | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Estonia | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Native | No | |||
| Finland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| France | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Gambia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Georgia | Native | No | |||
| Germany | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Gibraltar (to UK) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Greece | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Greenland (to Denmark) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Hungary | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Iceland | Native | No | |||
| India | Native | No | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ireland | Native | No | |||
| Israel | Vagrant | No | |||
| Italy | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Japan | Native | No | |||
| Kazakhstan | Native | No | |||
| Latvia | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Liechtenstein | Vagrant | No | |||
| Lithuania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Luxembourg | Vagrant | No | |||
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Malta | Vagrant | No | |||
| Mexico | Native | No | |||
| Moldova | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Monaco | Unknown | No | |||
| Mongolia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Montenegro | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Morocco | Vagrant | No | |||
| Netherlands | Native | No | Yes | ||
| North Korea | Native | No | |||
| Norway | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Pakistan | Native | No | |||
| Poland | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Portugal | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Romania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (Asian) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (Central Asian) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (European) | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Serbia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Slovakia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Slovenia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| South Korea | Native | No | |||
| Spain | Native | No | Yes | ||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Sweden | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Switzerland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Taiwan (China) | Native | No | |||
| Tunisia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Turkey | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Turkmenistan | Native | No | |||
| Ukraine | Native | No | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom | Native | No | |||
| USA | Native | No | Yes |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Île aux Basques et Les Razades |  |
| Canada | Point Lepreau/Maces Bay | |
| Denmark | Eastern German Bight | |
| Denmark | Hyllekrog-Rødsand and Fehmarn Belt | |
| Denmark | Northern Kattegat | |
| Denmark | Northwestern Kattegat | |
| Denmark | Smålandsfarvandet | |
| Denmark | Smålandsfarvandet (part of) | |
| Estonia | Irbe strait | |
| Finland | Käsivarsi fjelds | |
| Finland | Lemmenjoki-Hammastunturi-Pulju | |
| Finland | Litokaira | |
| Finland | Martimoaapa-Lumiaapa-Penikat | |
| Finland | Rumala-Kuvaja-Oudonrimmet | |
| Greenland (to Denmark) | Nordfjord and adjacent valley | |
| Iceland | Álftanes-Akrar | |
| Iceland | Úthérad | |
| Iceland | Breidamerkursandur | |
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Miankaleh Peninsula and Gorgan Bay | |
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | South Caspian shore, from Astara to Gomishan | |
| Latvia | Irbe strait | |
| Latvia | Seashore at Palanga | |
| Latvia | Tuja offshore | |
| Latvia | Ziemupe-Riva coastal | |
| Lithuania | Marine waters along the continental part of Lithuania | |
| Netherlands | North Sea north of the Wadden Sea | |
| Norway | Froan | |
| Russia (Asian) | Aniva bay | |
| Russia (Asian) | Forty islands | |
| Russia (Asian) | Kunashir island | |
| Russia (Asian) | Mukhtel' lake | |
| Russia (Asian) | North-east Sakhalin lagoons | |
| Russia (Asian) | Shantar islands | |
| Russia (Asian) | Tyk and Viakhtu bays | |
| Russia (Central Asian) | Lower Yuribey | |
| Russia (Central Asian) | Upper and Middle Yuribey | |
| Russia (European) | Vyborgski Bay | |
| Slovenia | River Drava | |
| Sweden | Dumme mosse | |
| Sweden | Komosse | |
| Sweden | Lake Tjålmejaure-Laisdalen valley | |
| Sweden | Påkketan | |
| Sweden | Taavavuoma | |
| United Kingdom | Blackpark and Gutcher, Yell | |
| United Kingdom | Caithness and Sutherland Peatlands | |
| United Kingdom | Hoy | |
| United Kingdom | Lewis Peatlands | |
| United Kingdom | Mointeach Scadabhaigh | |
| United Kingdom | Ornkey Mainland Moors | |
| United Kingdom | Otterswick and Graveland | |
| United Kingdom | Ronas Hill - North Roe and Tingon | |
| United Kingdom | West Burrafirth | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | major | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | major | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Tundra Wetlands (incl. pools and temporary waters from snowmelt) | major | breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 500 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Whole (>90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| |||||||||
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Gavia stellata. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 18/06/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 18/06/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Gaviidae (Loons or divers) |
| Species name author | (Pontoppidan, 1763) |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Decreasing |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 5,170,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
| - Summary information on this species | |
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