Birds of the World

Gaviidae : Divers / Loons

Great Northern Diver / Common Loon

Gavia immer

non-breeding adult - Mull, Scotland - March 2017

The northwest Highlands in the winter and early spring is the only place in the UK where the widely used North American name of Common Loon is an appropriate alternative to Great Northern Diver. About 30% of the Western Palearctic wintering population can be found around Scottish coasts, most originate from Greenland and Icelandic breeding stocks but around 10% migrate from northern Canada each year. There are no authenticated records of them breeding in Scotland.