Great Northern Loon

Gavia immer

Order: Gaviiformes
Family: Gaviidae
Presence in the Strait: Vagrant
Protection in Spain: Special protection (List)
In Spanish: Colimbo grande

Photograph: Matt Felperin, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length: 68–91 cm
Wingspan: 127–147 cm
Weight: 4,000 g

Presence in the Strait

Accidental pelagic during wintering. Two records of single birds off Gibraltar: 23.11.89 and 1.01.01 and another on 18.01.11 at Palomas Island (Tarifa).

Identification

Marked contrast of the nape and crown with the white front part of the neck; dark half-collar. Juveniles birds are more dun-coloured on head and neck, with darker ear coverts. They originate from Iceland. ad.E Colimbo Grande Gaviidae juv. Colimbo Chico ad.E ad.W juv. Colimbo Grande Colimbo Grande ad.W

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

29 %

Peak in December. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 23 January 1998
Latest record: 28 December 2024

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Spanish Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: NT · Near threatened · wintering or migrating
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Annex I of the Birds Directive

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Same genus in the Strait

Red-throated Loon53–69 cm · Vagrant · overlapping size

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gaviiformes
Family: Gaviidae
GBIF taxon key: 2481962

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Matt Felperin, CC BY, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Great Northern Loon

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Gallery