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Arctic Loon Gavia arctica
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) | 3,890,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 3,890,000 | 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.280,000-1,500,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2006), while the population in Russia has been estimated at c.100-10,000 breeding pairs and c.1,000-10,000 wintering individuals (Brazil 2009). | ||||
| Trend justification: The overall population trend is decreasing, although some populations have unknown trends (Wetlands International 2006). | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Algeria | Vagrant | No | |||
| Armenia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Austria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Azerbaijan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Belarus | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Belgium | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Native | No | |||
| Bulgaria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| China (mainland) | Native | No | |||
| Croatia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Czech Republic | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Denmark | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Estonia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Finland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| France | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Georgia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Germany | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Gibraltar (to UK) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Greece | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Hungary | Native | No | Yes | ||
| India | Native | No | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ireland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Israel | Vagrant | No | |||
| Italy | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Japan | Native | No | |||
| Jordan | Vagrant | No | |||
| Kazakhstan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Kyrgyzstan | Native | No | |||
| Latvia | Native | No | |||
| Lithuania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Luxembourg | Vagrant | No | |||
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Mexico | Native | No | |||
| Moldova | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Monaco | Unknown | No | |||
| Mongolia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Montenegro | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Morocco | Vagrant | No | |||
| Netherlands | Native | No | Yes | ||
| North Korea | Native | No | |||
| Norway | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Poland | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Portugal | Vagrant | No | |||
| Romania | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Russia (Asian) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (Central Asian) | Native | No | Yes | 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 | ||
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Sweden | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Switzerland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Taiwan (China) | Native | No | |||
| Turkey | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Turkmenistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ukraine | Native | No | Yes | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark | Eastern German Bight |  |
| Denmark | Hyllekrog-Rødsand and Fehmarn Belt | |
| Denmark | Northern Kattegat | |
| Denmark | Northwestern Kattegat | |
| Denmark | Smålandsfarvandet (part of) | |
| Finland | Kitka lake | |
| Finland | Kukkiajärvi lake | |
| Finland | Lake Pihlajavesi | |
| Finland | Outokumpu and Kaavi oligotrophic lakes | |
| Lithuania | Labanoras Regional Park | |
| Netherlands | North Sea north of the Wadden Sea | |
| Russia (Asian) | Aniva bay | |
| Russia (Asian) | Forty islands | |
| Russia (Asian) | Kunashir island | |
| Russia (Asian) | North-east Sakhalin lagoons | |
| Russia (Asian) | Tyk and Viakhtu bays | |
| Russia (Central Asian) | Lower Ob' | |
| Russia (European) | Berezovye islands of Vyborg Bay | |
| Russia (European) | Kuloy river | |
| Russia (European) | Russki Zavorot Peninsula and eastern part of Malozemelskaya Tundra | |
| Russia (European) | Seskar island | |
| Russia (European) | Vyborgski Bay | |
| Sweden | Färnebofjärden | |
| Sweden | Tarnan-Riala forest | |
| United Kingdom | Assynt Lochs | |
| United Kingdom | Assynt Lochs | |
| United Kingdom | Caithness and Sutherland Peatlands | |
| United Kingdom | Inverpolly, Loch Urigill and nearby lochs | |
| United Kingdom | Inverpolly, Loch Urigill and Nearby Lochs | |
| United Kingdom | Knapdale Lochs | |
| United Kingdom | Lairg and Strathbora Lochs | |
| United Kingdom | Lewis Peatlands | |
| United Kingdom | Loch Maree | |
| United Kingdom | Loch Maree and Nearby Lochs and Mountains | |
| United Kingdom | Loch Shiel | |
| United Kingdom | Loch Shin and nearby lochs | |
| United Kingdom | Loch Shin and Nearby Lochs | |
| United Kingdom | Loch Stack, Loch Nam Brac and nearby lochs | |
| United Kingdom | Loch Stack, Loch nam Brac and Nearby Lochs | |
| United Kingdom | Mointeach Scadabhaigh | |
| United Kingdom | Rannoch Lochs | |
| United Kingdom | South Cornwall Coast | |
| United Kingdom | West Inverness-shire Lochs | |
| United Kingdom | Wester Ross Lochs | |
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) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | 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 arctica. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 25/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 25/05/2013.
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 | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Decreasing |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 3,890,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
| - Summary information on this species | |
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