Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata)

The Red-throated Diver has the distinction of being both the smallest and much the commonest member of its family. It is also the only one that can take off from the water without a long run, and this allows it to live on smaller bodies of water than the others. In fact Red-throated Divers often breed beside small tundra pools, and simply commute to larger lakes or the sea to catch food for themselves and their young. The larger divers tend to obtain what they need from their “home” lake.

Red-throated Divers are highly territorial, but because several pairs may nest on one lake quite close together and meet up regularly, they have more complex territorial displays than others of the family. An intruder is met by either member of a pair swimming towards it and assuming an “Alert Posture”, with head held up and neck extended, red throat showing. This may lead into the “Snake Ceremony”, in which the pair swims side by side with half the body immersed and their bills pointing towards the water; all the while the couple calls in duet, with wails of different pitches. If that doesn’t drive off the visitor, the birds will both rear up in the water together, necks extended skywards, feet paddling furiously in the “Plesiosaur Race”. This display is usually performed in silence and, bizarrely, the intruder may join in!