Gavia pacifica
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The Pacific loon or Pacific diver (Gavia pacifica) is a medium-sized member of the loon, or diver, family. The Pacific loon, previously considered conspecific with the similar black-throated loon, was classified as a separate species in 1985. The genus name Gavia comes from the Latin for "sea mew", as used by ancient Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder. The specific epithet pacifica is Latin for the Pacific Ocean, the term meaning "peaceful".
The phylogeny of this species is debated, with the black-throated loon and the Pacific loon traditionally being considered sister species, whereas a study using mitochondrial and nuclear intron DNA supported placing the black-throated loon sister to a clade consisting of the Pacific loon and the two sister species that are the common loon and the yellow-billed loon. In the former phylogeny, the split between the Pacific loon and the black-throated loon is proposed to have happened about 6.5 million years ago.
Breeding adults are like a smaller sleeker version of common loon. They measure 58–74 cm (23–29 in) in length, 110–128 cm (43–50 in) in wingspan and weigh 1–2.5 kg (2.2–5.5 lb). They have a grey... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Guangzhou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 9 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pacific Loon sighting in Seattle on a given day, based on 1,477 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 128th most-seen of the 271 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pacific Loon in Seattle on a given day, against under 5% in February to December, the lowest months. That is one of Seattle's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain against 20 mm in July.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pacific Loon sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 13 cities where we can rate Pacific Loon sightings, Seattle ranks 4th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in San Diego (United States, under 5%), Washington (United States, under 5%) and Anchorage (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pacific Loon is recorded against all the birds logged in Seattle (1,477 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
