Red-throated Loon

Gavia stellata

Order: Gaviiformes
Family: Gaviidae
Presence in the Strait: Vagrant
Protection in Spain: Special protection (List)
In Spanish: Colimbo chico

Photograph: Matt Felperin, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length: 53–69 cm
Wingspan: 106–116 cm
Weight: 1,400 g

Presence in the Strait

Accidental pelagic during winter, common in 19th Century. Three records in the Mediterranean: 30.03.84 (2), 13.01.96 (2) and 18.02.96 (1) and another in the Atlantic on 05.02.10 at Palomas Island (Tarifa).

Identification

Bill uptilted; close up, prominent eyes on white face and the upperparts are finely speckled white. In flight, long body with feet extended beyond tail, a hunch-backed appearance, with bill pointing slightly upwards. Juveniles have brownish-grey neck and off-white throat. Breeds on the Arctic tundra.

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

75 %

Peak in January. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 19 December 2006
Latest record: 17 February 2014

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Spanish Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: DD · Data deficient · wintering or migrating
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Annex I of the Birds Directive

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Same genus in the Strait

Great Northern Loon68–91 cm · Vagrant · overlapping size

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gaviiformes
Family: Gaviidae
GBIF taxon key: 2481958

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Matt Felperin, CC BY, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Red-throated Loon

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Gallery