Pacific Diver (Gavia pacifica)

OTHER NAMES: Pacific Loon
Latin Etymology: Gavia (name in Latin for an unidentified seabird) pacifica ("of the Pacific")

 
Non-breeding Pacific Diver (Gavia pacifica) at Big Sur, California - September 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 1-2.5kg  /  Length: 58-74cm  /  Wingspan: 110-128cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Pacific Diver as it's name suggests is a bird whose range is centred on the North of the Pacific, with its breeding range in Siberia, Alaska and Canada, although it does breed as far East as Hudson Bay and Baffin Island, which would be presumaby the source of the rare vagrancies to Europe. As with most divers, their breeding plumage includes some spectacular pinstripe patterning, but as with other species their High North breeding range makes seeing them in their drab Winter plumage far easier, where they can be distinguished from other species by the presence of a narrow chin strap.

Related Species:
ORDER: Gaviiformes
FAMILY: Gaviidae
GENUS: Gavia
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 
Breeds in Alaska, Winters along West Coast
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Big Sur

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Great Northern Diver (Gavia immer)

OTHER NAMES: Common Loon, Great Northern Loon

Latin Etymology: Gavia (name in Latin for an unidentified seabird) immer (Norwegian name for species)

Two adult breeding plumage Great Northern Diver at Teslin Lake, Yukon, Canada - August 2024

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 4.1kg  /  Length: 65-91cm  /  Wingspan: 137cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Divers, and Great Northern Diver in particular have long been a bit of a bugbear for me, I've looked for them on several occasions in places they've supposed to be and it wasn't until I wasn't looking for one that I happened to stumble across it!  The Great Northern is the largest of the three regular divers to frequent our waters but also the only one that doesn't breed.  They are roughly cormorant sized and shaped but are stockier with long dagger like beaks.  They do as the name suggest, spend a lot of time underwater hunting for fish meaning they can, as this one did, just vanish into nowhere despite being on a flat lake with nowhere to hide.

- Related Species -
ORDER: Gaviiformes
FAMILY: Gaviidae
GENUS: Gavia
SUBSPECIES: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

CANADA - Breeds over most of the Country except Arctic and Great Plains
  - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: - Seen in Yukon

UNITED KINGDOM - Scarce Winter Migrant (approx. 2600 birds)

 - Wintering bird seen on Queen Mother Reservoir (1 Winter plumage adult in 2012).  Seen off Cornwall.

UNITED STATES - Breeds on Northern Border, Winters along nearly entire Coast
 - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: Seen in Alaska

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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