Gavia adamsii
The Yellow-billed Loon, or White-billed Diver as it is known in Eurasia, stands as the largest and arguably most striking of the loon species. Reaching lengths of 76-97 cm (30-38 in) with a wingspan of 135-160 cm (53-63 in) and weighing 4-6.4 kg (8.8-14.1 lbs), its most distinctive feature is its massive, pale ivory to yellow bill, held straight or slightly upturned, a key identifier even at a distance. Breeding adults sport a glossy black head and neck, a black-and-white checkered mantle, an...
Breeds on large, shallow freshwater lakes and wide rivers within Arctic tundra; winters primarily on coastal marine waters, often sheltered bays or estuaries.
Primarily piscivorous, consuming various freshwater fish species during breeding and marine fish during winter, supplemented by crustaceans and aquatic insects.
Yellow-billed Loons are diurnal hunters, spending much of their day diving for fish and roosting on the water's surface, sometimes resting ashore during incubation. They are expert pursuit divers, using powerful leg strokes to chase down prey underwater. On breeding grounds, they are fiercely ter...
The Yellow-billed Loon's breeding range encompasses the high Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia. In North America, they nest primarily across Arctic Alaska, including the North Slope and Bering Sea coast, extending eastward into the Canadian Arctic in the Yukon and Northwest Territories....
Least Concern
- The Yellow-billed Loon is the largest living species of loon, or diver, in the world. - Its distinctive pale ivory-yellow bill is often held horizontally or slightly upturned, a critical field mark to differentiate it from the similar Common Loon. - They are prodigious divers, capable of stayin...