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Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) Use of Nearshore Marine Habitats—Results from a 2019 Pilot Study in Northern Alaska

Open-File Report 2021-1029
Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
By: , , and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20211029

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Abstract

Red-throated loons (Gavia stellata) are a species of conservation concern in Alaska due to recent evidence of a population decline on the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) in northern Alaska. In 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a pilot study to evaluate diet and use of nearshore foraging areas as possible drivers of the population decline. We collected fat biopsies to examine diet of breeding red-throated loons using previously outlined methods. We also deployed GPS-Ultra High Frequency transmitters on red-throated loons for an initial understanding of detailed offshore marine habitat use during the breeding season. A broader research project on marine habitat use and fish diet of breeding red-throated loons will begin in 2021 on the Canning River Delta and in Foggy Island Bay, Alaska.

Suggested Citation

Uher-Koch, B.D., Latty, C.J., and Schmutz, J.A., 2021, Red-throated loon (Gavia stellata) use of nearshore marine habitats—Results from a 2019 pilot study in Northern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2021–1029, 4 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20211029.

ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)

Study Area

Table of Contents

  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • The 2019 Pilot Study
  • Methods and Results
  • Summary and Next Steps
  • References Cited
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Red-throated loon (Gavia stellata) use of nearshore marine habitats—Results from a 2019 pilot study in northern Alaska
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 2021-1029
DOI 10.3133/ofr20211029
Year Published 2021
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Alaska Science Center Biology WTEB
Description iv, 4 p.
Country United States
State Alaska
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details