Red-throated Loon
| Gavia stellata | Order: Gaviiformes | Family: Gaviidae (Loons) |
Gavia stellata
Order: Gaviiformes
Family: Gaviidae (Loons)
The smallest loon can take off in one leap, unlike other loons, which must run on the surface to get enough lift to fly. It doesn’t carry young on its back, and unlike other loons, also brings food back to its young from a distance. This species turns up in the Duluth area every spring, and some linger into June. No one knows why.
This was one of my favorite birds in Alaska, VERY easy to see in both the Nome and Anchorage areas.