Red-billed diving bird
The famous American contemporary poet Robert Bulle has a work called "The Song of the Diving Bird":
Far away from the center of the unshared lake
The chirping of the diving birds rises
It was the cry of someone who had very little
Today, let's talk about the diving bird. There are 5 species of diving birds in the world and 4 species in China. They are mostly distributed in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The mouth is straight and pointed, the wings are short, and the tail is short. Diving birds are more capable of diving than partridges and are highly skilled in flying. When taking off, it is not like a swan that needs a distance to run. But they operate clumsily on land.
1. Red-throated diving bird
Males during the breeding season
It is the smallest diving bird with a body length of only 61 cm. During the breeding season , adult males have a dark red throat and fore neck.
Male bird in non-breeding season
It is distinguished from the black-throated diving bird in that its flapping wings are faster and higher
During the breeding season, it mainly inhabits lakes, rivers and ponds in the Arctic tundra and forest tundra belt. During migration and winter, it mostly inhabits coastal waters. Flight time, often in a straight line, very fast. Take-off is flexible, you can fly directly out of the water without running on the surface of the water, and you can also take off in smaller ponds. It is more difficult to walk on the ground, and it is often crawling on the ground.
2. Black-throated diving bird
Slightly larger than the red-throated diver , it is about 68 cm long , and during the breeding season , the throat and fore neck of adult males are dark green. During the non-breeding period , the upper white of the lower body extends to the side of the neck and the lower part of the face , and the white patches on both sides are obvious. It is distinguished from the red-throated diver by a thick neck, a thick, flattened beak, and a lack of white markings on the upper body.
It breeds in freshwater waters at high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere in summer and overwinters in coastal waters at around 30 degrees north latitude in winter.
It is relatively rare in China.
3. Pacific diving bird
It is slightly larger , with a body length of about 66 cm , slightly smaller than the black-throated diving bird.
During the breeding season , the plumage is similar to that of the black-throated diver , but the throat of the black-throated diver is shiny purple instead of green patches , and the back of the neck is more white. It breeds in eastern Siberia to Alaska and Canada, and winters off the coast of Japan and western North America. Populations are sparse.
4. Ordinary diving birds
Larger, it is mainly distributed in North America and the North Atlantic, and is a more common diving bird in North America.
5. Yellow-billed diving bird
During the breeding season , the mouth is ivory white , the head is black , and there are white neck rings.