Red-throated Diver

Name: Red-throated Diver

Scientific name: Gavia stellata

Category: Birds

Nature Stars: 70

What are nature stars?

About: A large waterbird, between Great Crested Grebe and Cormorant in size. Divers nest on small pools and lochs, moving to the coast for the winter where they feed on fish.

Also found in the UK are the black-throated diver and the great northern diver.

How to identify: Beautiful summer plumage, with a silky grey face and neck and a red throat. In the winter turns a silvery grey above and white below, with a slightly upturned bill. The smallest of the divers.

Where: Nests in the far north of Scotland. In the winter can be seen on the sea around most coasts and sometimes turns up on big lakes and reservoirs.

Natural Superpowers

• Predator: 70
• Agility: 50
• Rarity: 80
• Cute factor: 50
• Traveller: 80

Fantastic fact: Sometimes known in Scotland as the Rain Goose, as they are thought to start calling just before rainstorms.

Photograph credit: Omarrun