Pacific Diver

Pacific Diver
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Gaviformes Family: Gavidae Genus: Gavia Species: arctica
Binomial name
Gavia arctica

Pacific Diver (Gavia pacifica †), known in North America as Pacific Loon, is a medium-sized member of the Loon or Diver family.

It breeds in Alaska. It winters at sea or on large lakes over a much wider range. It may be conspecific with Black-throated Diver, which it closely resembles.

Breeding adults are like a smaller sleeker version of Great Northern Diver. They have a grey head, black throat, white underparts and chequered black-and-white mantle. Non-breeding plumage is drabber with the chin and foreneck white. Its bill is grey or whitish and dagger-shaped. In all plumages, lack of a white flank patch distinguishes this species from the otherwise very similar Black-throated Diver

This species, like all divers, is a specialist fish-eater, catching its prey underwater.It fies with neck outstretched.

The call is an a yodelling high-pitched wailing.

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† Gavia: Latin for sea smew (although Divers are not Smew); pacifica: Latin, meaning of the Pacific.