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Consistent with its status as a rare breeder, the Red-throated Loon was reported from 8 squares across northern Saskatchewan. Breeding was confirmed near Scott Lake by Steve Van Wilgenburg who observed an adult moving off a nest on a small pond some 500 meters south of the border with the Northwest Territories. Pairs were observed in two squares on small ponds near Lake Athabasca and Cree Lake, and other single birds were heard or seen in similarly suitable habitats near Wollaston Lake.

Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:

The Red-throated Loon is the only loon that has short "takeoff and landing gear? that allows it to nest on small High Arctic lakes and ponds. It is also the only one of the five loon species that lacks the striking black and white checkered spring plumage. Instead, its upper parts are marked with fine white spots and edgings (Barr et al. 2000).

As a breeding bird, it generally occurs on small lakes. During migration it frequents freshwater lakes and reservoirs.

A rare breeder, south to Key Lake-summer records of a pair in 2004 (J. DeVink)-and near the south end of Reindeer Lake (R. M. Poulin). Most Red-throated Loons breed farther north in coastal tundra habitat and migrate coastally (Barr et al. 2000). As a result, there is a paucity of migration records for southern Saskatchewan.

Original text by Alan R. Smith. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky

Read more about the Red-throated Loon in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.

LeeAnn M. Latremouille

Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Red-throated Loon in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=RTLO&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]