A yellow-billed loon (Gavia adamsii, aka white-billed diver) has been sighted in Fáskrúðsfjörður, east Iceland, since before Christmas. It is the second time that the bird, which isn’t native to the country, has been spotted in Iceland.
A yellow-billed loon. Source: Wikipedia.
It is also rare for stray birds to arrive in Iceland in this season, Morgunblaðið reports.
The first time a yellow-billed loon was spotted in Iceland was in the Westman Islands in the south in late summer 2011. The one in Fáskrúðsfjörður appears to have enough to eat and not to be about to leave anytime soon.
The yellow-billed loon is the largest bird of the loon family, slightly larger than the common loon (aka great northern diver), which does nest in Iceland. The loon, or red-throated diver, also nests in the country.
However, the sighting of an Arctic loon, or black-throated diver, in Iceland has not been confirmed. It breeds in Eurasia and occasionally in western Alaska, whereas the yellow-billed loon is native to Russia, northern Canada and Alaska. In the winter it is sometimes seen in Norway.
Click here to read more about stray birds in Iceland.
ESA
