Great Northern Divers
The Great Northern Diver is a large member of the diver or loon family. The species is known as the Great Northern Diver in Eurasia and the Common Loon in north America. The European name "diver" comes from the bird's habit of catching fish by swimming calmly along the surface and then abruptly plunging into the water. The north American name "loon" is a reference to the bird's clumsiness on land and is derived from Scandinavian words for lame such as Icelandic "lúinn" and Swedish "lam".
Breeding adult Great Northern Divers have a black head, white underparts and a chequered black and white mantle. The non-breeding plumage is brownish with the chin and foreneck white. The bill is black-blue and held horizontally.
The Great Northern Diver breeds in north America, Greenland and Iceland on hollowed-out mounds of dirt and vegetation very close to water and typically placed on islands to avoid ground-based predators. It winters on sea coasts or on large lakes further south in Europe, north America and north west Africa.
The Great Northern Diver is a specialist fresh water or salt water fish-eater. It catches its prey underwater, diving as deep as 200 feet and remaining underwater for as long as 3 minutes.
The Great Northern Diver needs a long distance to gain momentum for take-off and it is ungainly on landing. Its clumsiness on land is due to the legs being positioned at the rear of the body. This is ideal for diving but not well-suited for walking. However, it swims gracefully on the surface.
Date: 5th June 2015
Location: Steingrímsfjarðarheiði to Ísafjörður, Westfjords, Iceland
Breeding adult Great Northern Divers have a black head, white underparts and a chequered black and white mantle. The non-breeding plumage is brownish with the chin and foreneck white. The bill is black-blue and held horizontally.
The Great Northern Diver breeds in north America, Greenland and Iceland on hollowed-out mounds of dirt and vegetation very close to water and typically placed on islands to avoid ground-based predators. It winters on sea coasts or on large lakes further south in Europe, north America and north west Africa.
The Great Northern Diver is a specialist fresh water or salt water fish-eater. It catches its prey underwater, diving as deep as 200 feet and remaining underwater for as long as 3 minutes.
The Great Northern Diver needs a long distance to gain momentum for take-off and it is ungainly on landing. Its clumsiness on land is due to the legs being positioned at the rear of the body. This is ideal for diving but not well-suited for walking. However, it swims gracefully on the surface.
Date: 5th June 2015
Location: Steingrímsfjarðarheiði to Ísafjörður, Westfjords, Iceland
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Also in: Westfjords
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