Diver/Loon Specialist Group
Group Chair
David Evers, Ph.D., Executive Director and Chief Scientist
Biodiversity Research Institute
276 Canco Road, Portland, ME 04103
207-839-7600
www.briloon.org/looncenter
Diver/Loon Species
- Common Loon (Gavia immer) — the only loon species that breeds in the contiguous United States.
- Yellow-billed Loon (G. adamsii) — a strictly tundra and coastal plain breeding species and is the rarest of loon species (around 3,000 individuals in Alaska).
- Pacific Loon (G. pacifica) — mostly restricted to North America.
- Arctic Loon (G. arctica) — primarily a breeding species found in Europe and Asia.
- Red-throated Loon (G. stellata) — has the widest range of all loon species and is found across the Northern Hemisphere.
Description and Goals of the Specialist Group
The Diver/Loon Specialist Group (DLSG) is an association of professional organizations, volunteer groups, and dedicated individuals who work for the protection and preservation of loon populations mainly in the United States (in 14 states where loons breed), Canada, and Scandinavia. This Group is actively and continuously engaged to improve worldwide loon population estimates and to protect habitats of loon populations from excessive human disturbances.
Goals
- Provide an international network of experts on the world’s divers/loons
- Stimulate, coordinate, and promote diver/loon research and information exchange worldwide
- Provide research information and advice to Wetlands International/IUCN-SSC and others in support of promoting the conservation management and wise use of divers/loons and their habitats
- Offer a forum for information exchange
Membership
We are working to update and expand our membership around the world. For that effort, we are recruiting vice-chairs from Europe and Asia. If you are interested in working with us, please contact Group Chair David Evers.
Upcoming Meetings
2020 International Loon/Diver Symposium — NOTE Date Change
October 2020
Portland, Maine, USA
Recent Meetings
Workshop of the Working Group for the Development of the AEWA Plan of Action for Africa 2019-2027
Dakar, Senegal
Waterbird Society—2017 Annual Meeting
August 8–11, 2017
University of Iceland in Reykjavik
Header image by Jonathan Fiely © BRI