Hans Joachim Fünfstück

The species occupies for breeding deep freshwater lakes, preferably with islets and other inaccessible nesting sites, located mostly in taiga and boreal zone, less often in tundra. During winter it occurs mostly on marine (coastal) waters, but also deep inland wetlands. Its breeding range extends across N Eurasia, from Scotland and Scandinavia to E Siberia, Kamchatka, Chukotka and extreme NW Alaska (Carboneras, Garcia, 2020).

Intra-Eurasian migrant. European population overwinters on most sea coasts S from Fennoscandia, as well as locally inland.

Its population trend in Europe is decreasing. Evaluated as “Least Concern” (BirdLife International 2021).

Season of assessment

B

Population trendDecreasing
Population size
(min-max, best estimate)		142000-194000,166000
Red List categoryLC
Franks, S., Fiedler, W., Arizaga, J., Jiguet, F., Nikolov, B., van der Jeugd, Ambrosini, R, Aizpurua, O., Bairlein, F., Clark, J., Fattorini, N, Hammond, M., Higgins, D, Levering, H., Skellorn, W., Spina, F, Thorup, K. Walker, J., Woodward, I. and Baillie, S.R. (1) (2022) Online Atlas of the movements of European bird populations. https://migrationatlas.org EURING/CMS (1) Principal investigator
Map

Overall Connectivity for Arctic Loon

Population from NE European Russia and Siberia has been suggested to undertake loop migration by heading W from its breeding grounds to Kara and Barents Seas before turning S (possibly via White Sea) to cross the continent and to reach the wintering sites in Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Seas; in spring the birds take N-NW routes to the Baltic Sea – from there they head NE/E following the ice melting towards their breeding sites (Schüz 1974). Birds breeding in Fennoscandia and NW Russia migrate mainly S-SE towards E Mediterranean/ Black Sea region, but part of the population overwinters along the Atlantic coasts of W Europe and W Mediterranean Sea. Baltic Sea region is an important stopover area (Ilichev 1978). The small population from the British Isles apparently does not migrate long distances for wintering (Wernham et al. 2002).

Recoveries by Condition for Arctic Loon

Protected species throughout most of Europe, game species in Russia but apparently not intensively hunted. N Europe accounts for most of the encounters (ca. 65%). About one third of all encounters obtained during the 1960s. Most encounters (ca. 62%) come from the period May-Aug. The percentage of recoveries based on dead birds stayed pretty high in the past (72% pre-1960, ca. 92% during 1961-90) but decreased markedly to 48% after 1990. Currently, more than half (ca. 51%) of all recoveries come from alive birds thanks to colour marking studies.

Drowning in fishing nets stays rather stable negative factor over the years – 16-17% from the total sample (33% of all dead birds in Finland; Saurola et al. 2013).

Annual Movements for Arctic Loon

The species undergoes a flightless wing-moulting period of about a 6-8 weeks in spring, still on the non-breeding grounds (Russell 2020). Post-breeding movements start as early as Aug, breeding sites are left in Oct at latest. Birds breeding in Fennoscandia are encountered in the North/Baltic Sea region in Aug before continuing to their wintering grounds in S Europe (data from the Bay of Biscay, Adriatic, Marmara & Black Seas) which are reached as early as late Sep/Oct. Satellite tagging revealed almost straight autumn flights from Finland to the Black Sea (Lindholm, Forsten, 2020).

Birds stay on their wintering sites until Apr-May. Baltic Sea region is an important stopover area in spring as well (May, from Feb-Mar in mild winters) (Skov et al. 2011). Breeding sites are occupied as early as Apr but in N Siberia – late Jun (spring-thaw dependent).

Connectivity by Month by Region for Arctic Loon

Birds stay on their breeding grounds until late summer – early autumn. Breeding birds both from the Fennoscandian and Siberian populations stopover in the Baltic Sea region (the latter covering much longer routes W to N Europe) before continuing further SW, S & SE to their wintering grounds which are reached most often in mid-autumn – the Atlantic coast, Mediterranean & Black Seas, as well as some suitable wetlands inland. A bird has been found wintering (Dec) in two consecutive years at sites ca. 600km apart in the C Mediterranean Sea. Another bird marked in the S Ural Mts. has been subsequently encountered in E Black Sea (Ilichev 1978). Wintering grounds are left mid- to late spring and breeding sites are usually reached in late spring.

Boris Nikolov

References

Statistics Map
N records N individuals N recoveries
Mapped data*
Total available data
*Mapped data include only distant (>= 50 km) recoveries
References Map
2002 . The Migration Atlas: movements of the birds of Britain and Ireland. T. & A.D. Poyser, LondonEditor(s): Wernham, C.V., Toms, M.P., Marchant, J.H., Clark, J.A., Siriwardena, G.M., Baillie, S.R.
1978 . Migrations of birds of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia: Gaviiformes – Ciconiiformes. Nauka, MoscowEditor(s): Ilichev, V. (ed.)
BirdLife International2021 . Species factsheet: Gavia arctica. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 23/07/2021.
Carboneras, C. , Garcia, E.F.J. 2020 . Arctic Loon (Gavia arctica). In: Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, BarcelonaEditor(s): del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E.retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/52474 on 18 April 2020
Lindholm, A., Forsten, A. 2020 . Migration and appearance of Black-throated Gavia arctica and Red-throated Divers Gavia stellata in the Gulf of Finland. Caluta 10: 1–27
Russell, R. W. 2020 . Arctic Loon (Gavia arctica), version 1.0. In Birds of the World Link to Article (DOI: https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.arcloo.01) Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USAEditor(s): Billerman, S. M.
Saurola, P. Valkama, J., Velmala, W. 2013 . The Finnish Bird Ringing Atlas Vol. I. Finnish Museum of Natural History and Ministry of Environment, Helsinki
Schüz, E. 1974 . Über den Zug von Gavia arctica in der Paläarktis. Ornis Fennica 51: 183–194
Skov, H., S. Heinänen, R. Žydelis, J. Bellebaum, S. Bzoma, M. Dagys, J. Durinck, S. Garthe, G. Grishanov, M. Hario, J. J. Kieckbusch, J. Kube, A. Kuresoo, K. Larsson, L. Luigujoe, W. Meissner, H. W. Nehls, L. Nilsson, I. K. Petersen, M. M. Roos et al.2011 . Waterbird Populations and Pressures in the Baltic Sea. Nordic Council of Ministers, Copenhagen, Denmark

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