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Yellow-billed Loon
Gavia adamsii
Family: GAVIIDAE
Order: Gaviiformes
Spanish Common Name: Colimbo de pico amarillo
French Common Name: Plongeon ŕ bec blanc
Yellow-billed Loon, immature. (c) Ron Wolf |
Courtesy Kenn Kaufman |
Annual Population Indices |
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Conservation Status
Global Population: 23,500
Continental Population: 16,000
Watchlist Status: 
Audubon State of the Birds Status: Very small population size; serious threats to breeding
Perhaps more than any other bird, the Yellow-billed Loon embodies the spirit of the northern tundra. Its wild wailing cries have been described as wolf-like, and it chooses one of North America's most remote landscapes as its summer home. Unfortunately, its home is not quite remote enough to avoid human disturbance, and the birds are becoming rarer.
Range & Distribution
As the Yellow-billed Loon is a resident of the remote Arctic tundra, exact population numbers are difficult to determine. Up to 6,000 birds (one quarter of the global population) are located within Alaska's North Slope. Further east, Yellow-billed Loons are found across the northernmost portions of Canada's Northwest Territories and western Nunavut. Away from North America, they breed across northern Siberia and winter in northern Scandinavia. The bulk of the North American winter population had been thought to migrate to the Pacific Northwest, but recent data indicates that many are trans-Pacific migrants, wintering as far away as the Yellow Sea.
A legend for the range map to the right can be found here.
Population Status & Trends
Yellow-billed Loons seem to be decreasing slightly. Surveys of the breeding grounds within Alaska's North Slope suggested a population decline of about 5% between 2000 and 2004. Due to its small population and vulnerability to habitat loss and human disturbance, the Yellow-billed Loon is listed as a species of global concern on the Audubon WatchList. While a petition to list the Yellow-billed Loon as an endangered species was filed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2004, no action has yet been taken.
An explanation of the Annual Indices graph displayed to the right can be found here.
Conservation Issues & Efforts
The Yellow-billed Loon's breeding habitat is limited and ever shrinking, and the effects of development—pollution, human disturbance, changes in water levels on lakes where they breed, or in the fish populations within those lakes—could prove disastrous for Alaska's Yellow-billed Loons. This shy species is particularly sensitive to disturbance, which causes nesting birds to flee, leaving eggs or young vulnerable to predators. Most loons summer on the coastal plain of the 23.5 million acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). In January 2006, the Bush Administration announced plans to open the entire Northeast Planning Area of the NPR-A. A sale of oil and gas leases for the few remaining protected areas within the coastal plain took place in September 2006. Fortunately, an eleventh hour court ruling preserved over 400,000 acres of the most sensitive habitat around Teshekpuk Lake.
A migrant species, the Yellow-billed Loon faces additional threats on its wintering grounds. The species winters mainly in coastal waters, where exposure to pollution is a major risk. Recent satellite tracking studies indicate that a significant portion of Alaska's Yellow-billed Loons winter in the Yellow Sea, off the east coast of China. This region is home to over 10% of the world's human population, and is among the world's most threatened marine areas due to high pollution levels, overfishing, and environmental degradation. Due to its relatively small numbers and concentrated seasonal populations, the species is particularly prone to catastrophic loss from disasters like oil spills.
What You Can Do
Remain aware of current U.S. energy policy, especially of proposals to open pristine lands, like Alaska's North Slope, to further exploration.
Most importantly, share your concerns with your legislators.
For more actions you can take, including Audubon activities, please visit our resources page.
For More Information
References
Earnst, S.L. 2004. Status Assessment and Conservation Plan for the Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii). U.S. Geological Survey, Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5258, 42 p.
Fair, Jeff. "Call of the Loon". Audubon. March 2004. 90-95.
Harrison, P. 1983. Seabirds: an identification guide. Houghton Mifflin Co., New York, NY.
Kaufman, Kenn. 1996. Lives of North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York.
North, M. R. 1994. Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii). In The Birds of North America, No. 121 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists' Union.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Conservation Agreement for the Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii). Draft for Public Review and Comment. February 2006.
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