Yellow-billed Loon

Gavia adamsiiOrder: GAVIIFORMES Family: Loons (Gaviidae)

Codes: Common Name: YBLO Scientific Name: GAVADA ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174470

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Overview

Yellow-billed Loon: Large loon, white-spotted black upperparts, white underparts, gray sides with fine white spots. Head is glossy green-black; neck has black-and-white rings. Yellow bill. Dives for small fish, crustaceans. Direct flight on deep wing beats. Solitary, or in pairs and family groups.

Range and Habitat

Yellow-billed Loon: Breeds in northern reaches of Canada, but migrates to southern Alaska and British Columbia, where it is commonly seen. Prefers tundra lakes and ponds in summer, winters on inshore coastal waters.

Topo Map: Duck-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"ha-ha-ha-ha-ha"

Interesting Facts

Yellow-billed Loons occasionally drown in nets, either put out for commercial, research, or subsistence purposes.

Oil spills are a major threat on their wintering grounds and for migrants.

Pairs will maintain the same territory year after year, taking on a new mate only if one does not return from migration.

A group of loons has many collective nouns, including an "asylum", "cry", "loomery", "raft", and "water dance" of loons.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Related Birds

Common Loon
Red-necked Grebe
Arctic Loon
Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Yellow-billed Loon

● Song: "ha-ha-ha-ha-ha"

● Foraging & Feeding: Yellow-billed Loon: Feeds on small fish and crustaceans; forages by diving underwater.

● Breeding & nesting: Yellow-billed Loon: One or two dark brown spotted, olive or brown eggs are laid in a grass-lined depression near the water. Incubation ranges from 27 to 30 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Yellow-billed Loon: Common loon has gray bill.

Flight Pattern

Fast direct flight on strong deep wing beats with head, neck, and feet extended beyond body.

● Range & Habitat: Yellow-billed Loon: Breeds in northern reaches of Canada, but migrates to southern Alaska and British Columbia, where it is commonly seen. Prefers tundra lakes and ponds in summer, winters on inshore coastal waters.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^PopulationUncommon to rare

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight193.6 Ounces

Duck-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America