Red-throated Diver

Red-throated Diver

Gavia stellata

Iceland, northern Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, the Hebrides, Orkney's, Shetlands and the Murmansk region are all home to the red-throated diver. It is also found in Greenland and in the arctic regions of North America, Breeding grounds are the edge of small but deep pools, coastal lagoons and lakes. The nest is made of mosses like sphagnum and of plant stems and is always placed near water. Paired birds often return to the female lays usually two eggs, which both partners take turns incubating for about 28 but sometimes as long as 36 days. Incubation starts as soon as the first egg appears. If the clutch is lost, the female lays again. Red-throated divers are migratory, although in the southern parts of their range they are dispersive. European populations winter on the Atlantic coast as far south as southern Spain, as well as on the North and Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Seas. On migration, the birds occur as vagrants on inland waters, where, however, they usually remain only a few days. The mainstay of the diet is sea fish, such as herring, sprats and cod, but the species does take amphibians, crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic insects and worms.

Size of egg	62.5-86.00x41.0-51.0 mm.
Length	53 to 61 cm. Male and female have similar plumage.
Voice	A repeated, quacking ‘kwuck’ also a high, thin wail