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

April 15, 2021

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 biopsies to examine diet of breeding red-throated loons using previously outlined methods. We also deployed GPS-Ultra High Frequency transmitters on red-throated loons for an initial understanding of detailed offshore marine habitat use during the breeding season. A broader research project on marine habitat use and fish diet of breeding red-throated loons will begin in 2021 on the Canning River Delta and in Foggy Island Bay, Alaska.

Publication Year 2021
Title Red-throated loon (Gavia stellata) use of nearshore marine habitats—Results from a 2019 pilot study in northern Alaska
DOI 10.3133/ofr20211029
Authors Brian D. Uher-Koch, Christopher J. Latty, Joel A. Schmutz
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Series Title Open-File Report
Series Number 2021-1029
Index ID ofr20211029
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Alaska Science Center Biology WTEB
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