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Loon Research Active

By Alaska Science Center August 10, 2018

Scientists at the USGS Alaska Science Center have conducted research on Alaska’s three loon species since the late 1970s. Loons rely on freshwater lakes for nesting habitat and fish and invertebrates inhabiting lakes and marine ecosystems for food. All three loon species in Alaska occur within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) on Alaska’s northern coast. Research by the USGS is informing distribution and abundance of loons in northern Alaska and how they may respond to environmental and human changes to the northern landscape.

Return to Ecosystems >> Terrestrial Ecosystems

A Red-throated Loon swimming in a small lake
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
A Red-throated Loon swimming in a small lake on the Colville River Delta.(Credit: Ryan Askren, USGS. Public domain.)

The main objectives of the USGS Alaska Science Center loon research program are to: 

  • Provide ecological and demographic information on Alaska’s three loon species.
  • Determine mechanisms for population trends, particularly for the Red-throated Loon (declines noted across much of Alaska) and the Yellow-billed Loon (a candidate species for listing as ‘threatened’ from 2009 to 2014).
  • Provide science information to Department of Interior management agencies and others for their decision-making regarding loons.

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

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Caribou grazing near the Dalton Highway in the northern part of Alaska.

Changing Arctic Ecosystems

Arctic regions of Alaska are important for cultural and economic sustainability and host a wide variety of wildlife species, many of which are of conservation and management interest to the U.S. Department of the Interior. The USGS and collaborators provide information about Arctic ecosystems that are used by Arctic residents, management agencies, and industry.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center
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Changing Arctic Ecosystems

Arctic regions of Alaska are important for cultural and economic sustainability and host a wide variety of wildlife species, many of which are of conservation and management interest to the U.S. Department of the Interior. The USGS and collaborators provide information about Arctic ecosystems that are used by Arctic residents, management agencies, and industry.
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Below are data or web applications associated with this project.

Survey Data for Loon Occupancy in Freshwater Lakes, National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, 2011-2014

These data are in one table of territory occupancy data for loons and presence/absence data for fish species based on survey information for Pacific (Gavia pacifica) and Yellow-billed Loon (G. adamsii) and five species of fish (Alaska blackfish, arctic grayling, broad whitefish, least cisco, ninespine stickleback) from freshwater lakes on the Arctic Coastal Plain in northern Alaska, 2011-2014. We
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Alaska Science Center

Tracking data for Yellow-billed Loons (Gavia adamsii)

This metadata document describes the data contained in the "rawData" folder of this data package. This data package contains all data collected by the Argos System from 92 satellite transmitters attached to adult Yellow-billed Loons on their breeding range in Arctic Alaska and Canada, 2002-2017. Five data files are included in the "rawData" folder of this data package. Two data files (with identic
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Alaska Science Center

Influenza A antibodies in Pacific (Gavia pacifica), Red-throated (G. stellata), and Yellow-billed Loons (G. adamsii) in Alaska, 2008-2017

This data set contains three spreadsheets with results of Influenza A Virus (IAV) screening in blood from Pacific, Red-throated, and Yellow-billed Loons at three locations in Alaska. Loons were captured along the Beaufort Sea Coast, Chukchi Sea Coast, and Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta from 2008-2017. Three different tests were used and the results are presented in separate spreadsheets. All serum samples
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Alaska Science Center

Pacific (Gavia pacifica), Yellow-billed (G. adamsii), and Red-throated Loon (G. stellata) Nest Monitoring Data; National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, 2011-2014

This data set contains information (in two spreadsheets) from the monitoring of nests of Pacific, Yellow-billed and Red-throated loons at two 64 km2 sites in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) during the summers of 2011-2014. We categorized each nest site by the physical aspects of the lake and proximity to other nesting loons. To determine nest fate (incubating, nest successful, nest
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Alaska Science Center

Serological Data on Influenza A from Birds and Mammals on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Northern Alaska, 2011-2017

These data (in two spreadsheets) are the results of screening for influenza A viruses (IAV) in blood from wild animals that utilize the Arctic region of Alaska. 758 blood samples from nine wildlife species (3 mammal, 6 waterbird) were collected in Arctic Alaska, 2011-2017. Two different tests were used and the results are presented in separate spreadsheets. All blood samples were screened for IAV
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Alaska Science Center

Below are multimedia items associated with this project.

A Red-throated Loon swimming in a small lake
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A Pacific Loon swimming on a small lake
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A Pacific Loon swimming on a small lake
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Pacific Loon taking off from a small lake near the Colville River Delta
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Yellow-billed Loon on a lake in the northern area of Alaska.
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A Yellow-billed Loon swimming in a small lake
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Below are publications associated with this project.

Filter Total Items: 23

eDNA Metabarcoding Analyses of Diet in Yellow-Billed Loons of Northern Alaska

Environmental DNA is a burgeoning tool used to address wide-ranging scientific questions, including determining diets of difficult-to-sample predators. Loons are large piscivorous diving birds that capture and consume prey underwater, making it nearly impossible to visually determine their diet via observation alone. Identifying species' diets is important for understanding basic life history trai
Authors
Damian M. Menning, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Melanie J. Flamme, Trey Simmons, Joel Schmutz, Sandra Talbot
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Alaska Science Center

Red-throated loon (Gavia stellata) use of nearshore marine habitats—Results from a 2019 pilot study in northern Alaska

Red-throated loons (Gavia stellata) are a species of conservation concern in Alaska due to recent evidence of a population decline on the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) in northern Alaska. In 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a pilot study to evaluate diet and use of nearshore foraging areas as possible drivers of the population decline. We collected fat
Authors
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Christopher J. Latty, Joel A. Schmutz
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Movements and habitat use of loons for assessment of conservation buffer zones in the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska

Oil and gas development in the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska, may pose threats to wildlife. Management guidelines within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska dictate buffer zones for coastal wildlife habitat and for breeding and foraging sites of yellow-billed loons (YBLOs; Gavia adamsii), a species of conservation concern. However, few data exist to assess the value of these buffer zones for YB
Authors
Sharon Poessel, Brian D. Uher-Koch, John M. Pearce, Joel A. Schmutz, Todd E. Katzner, David C. Douglas, Vanessa R. von Biela, Autumn-Lynne Harrison
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

The Yellow-billed Loon

The Yellow-billed Loon, known in Europe as the White-billed Diver, is a relatively rare bird nesting in arctic tundra regions of North America and Eurasia. This species was first described by G. R. Gray in 1859 (1), and named (Gavia adamsii) after the surgeon Dr. Edward Adams (who collected the first specimen) aboard the H.M.S. Enterprise on a voyage through Bering Strait. The Yellow-billed Loon i
Authors
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Mike North, Joel A. Schmutz
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Spatio-temporal population change of Arctic-breeding waterbirds on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska

Rapid physical changes that are occurring in the Arctic are primary drivers of landscape change and thus may drive population dynamics of Arctic-breeding birds. Despite the importance of this region to breeding and molting waterbirds, lack of a comprehensive analysis of historic data has hindered quantifying avian population change. We estimated distribution, abundance, and spatially explicit popu
Authors
Courtney L. Amundson, Paul L. Flint, Robert A Stehn, Robert Platte, Heather M. Wilson, William W. Larned, Julian B. Fischer
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Serologic evidence for influenza A virus exposure in three loon species (Gavia spp.) breeding in Alaska

Limited information exists about exposure to influenza A viruses (IAVs) in many wild waterbird species, including loons. We analyzed serum samples from breeding adult Pacific (Gavia pacifica), Red-throated (Gavia stellata), and Yellow-billed (Gavia adamsii) loons sampled at three locations along the coast of Alaska, US from 2008 to 2017 to gain a better understanding of the potential role loons pl
Authors
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Timothy J. Spivey, Caroline R. Van Hemert, Joel A. Schmutz, Kaijun Jiang, Xiu-Feng Wan, Andrew M. Ramey
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Comparative nest survival of three sympatric loon species breeding in the Arctic

Identifying factors influencing nest survival among sympatric species is important for understanding and managing sources of variation in population dynamics of individual species. Three species of loons nest sympatrically in northern Alaska and differ in body size, life history characteristics, and population trends. We tested the effects of competition, nest site selection, and water level varia
Authors
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Joshua C. Koch, Kenneth G. Wright, Joel A. Schmutz
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

International migration patterns of Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) from four breeding populations in Alaska

Identifying post-breeding migration and wintering distributions of migratory birds is important for understanding factors that may drive population dynamics. Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) are widely distributed across Alaska and currently have varying population trends, including some populations with recent periods of decline. To investigate population differentiation and the location of mi
Authors
Sarah E. McCloskey, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Joel A. Schmutz, Thomas F. Fondell
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center

A suspended dive-net technique for catching territorial divers

A variety of methods such as night-lighting and lift nets have been used to catch divers (Gavidae), although 24-hour daylight in the Arctic summer and the remote nature of field sites can make the use of these traditional methods impossible. Our research required capture of adult divers at remote locations in northern Alaska. Here we describe a suspended dive-net technique that we used to safely c
Authors
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Daniel Rizzolo, Kenneth G. Wright, Joel A. Schmutz
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Diet of yellow-billed loons (Gavia adamsii) in Arctic lakes during the nesting season inferred from fatty acid analysis

Understanding the dietary habits of yellow-billed loons (Gavia adamsii) can give important insights into their ecology, however, studying the diet of loons is difficult when direct observation or specimen collection is impractical. We investigate the diet of yellow-billed loons nesting on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska using quantitative fatty acid signature analysis. Tissue analysis from 26 y
Authors
T B Haynes, Joel A. Schmutz, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, S J Iverson, V. M. Padula, A E Rosenberger
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Nest visits and capture events affect breeding success of Yellow-billed and Pacific loons

Accurate estimates of breeding success are essential for understanding population dynamics and for managing populations. Unfortunately, research activities to collect these data can negatively impact the breeding success of the study species and bias estimates of breeding success. Despite the potential for negative impacts, few studies have documented the effect of capturing incubating adults on n
Authors
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Joel A. Schmutz, Kenneth G. Wright
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Fast and efficient: postnatal growth and energy expenditure in an Arctic-breeding waterbird, the Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata)

Environmental conditions can exert a strong influence on the growth and energy demands of chicks. We hypothesized that postnatal growth in a cold, aquatic environment would require a high level of energy metabolism in semiprecocial Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) chicks. We measured body-mass growth and daily energy expenditure (DEE) of free-ranging chicks in the Arctic. We used daily gains in
Authors
Daniel Rizzolo, Joel A. Schmutz, John R. Speakman
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Tagged Animal Movement - Loons

This project contains data collected by the Argos System from satellite transmitters attached to 12 Pacific Loon (data collected through Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center funding), 47 Red-throated Loon, and 85 Yellow-billed Loon. Birds were tracked along coastal regions of Alaska, northern Canada, the contiguous United States, and portions of Russia and Asia.

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Alaska Science Center