潛鳥目 Gaviiformes，來自拉丁文的 gāvia (白秋沙鴨 Mergellus albellus) 和拉丁文的 -fōrmis (形狀)，意思是「白秋沙鴨形狀」，說明所有動物都是把秋沙鴨的形狀，但是白秋沙鴨並不是在該目裏而是雁形目。

Gaviiformes, from Latin gāvia (“smew”, Mergellus albellus) and Latin -fōrmis (“-shaped”), means “smew-shaped”, in reference to the fact that all the members of this order are smew-shaped animals, although the smew is not a member of this order, but rather of Anseriformes.

Common names of members 種的俗名

潛鳥。

Loons, divers.

分佈 Distribution 

北美洲和歐亞大陸北部。

North America and northern Eurasia.

體型 Size

體型範圍從55厘米長、91厘米翼展和1公斤重，到97厘米長、160厘米翼展和6.4公斤重。

They range from 55 cm in length, 91 cm in wingspan and 1 kg in weight up to 97 cm in length, 160 cm in wingspan and 6.4 kg in weight.

形態 Morphology

牠們的體型類似於大鴨子。腳趾有蹼連接著。在夏季時，羽毛主要是黑白條紋，某些動物腹部白色，頭部和頸部呈現灰色。牠們的喙形狀像矛。

They resemble big ducks in size. They have webbing connecting their toes. In the summer, their plumage is primarily black and white striped, with certain species having gray on the head and neck in addition to a white belly. Their bill is fashioned like a spear.

生態及棲息地 Ecology & Habitat

作為候鳥，牠們在整個冬季從北部淡水湖的築巢地遷移到南部海岸線。

Being migratory birds, they relocate to southern sea coastlines throughout the winter from their nesting grounds in northern freshwater lakes.

食性 Diet

主要以魚類為食，並以兩棲類、螃蟹和其他類似的中型水生動物作為補充。被人發現牠們也吃水蛭、小龍蝦、青蛙、蝸牛和蠑螈。

They mostly consume fish, with amphibians, crabs, and other similar mid-sized aquatic animals as supplements. In particular, it has been seen that they consume leeches, crayfish, frogs, snails, and salamanders.

繁殖 Reproduction

在夏季時候，牠們在大池塘或淡水湖上築巢。在較小的水體中通常只有一對；在較大的湖泊中可能存在不只一對，每一對佔據湖的一個海灣或區域。牠們喜歡完全被水包圍著的地方，例如島嶼或挺水植物，並會在陸地上交配而通常在預定的築巢地點。牠們用各種材料建造巢穴，例如泥土、草、苔蘚、松針、樹葉和水生植物。根據緯度的不同，大多數是一窩兩卵在五月或六月產下。

During the summer, they build their nests on large ponds or freshwater lakes. There is normally only one pair in smaller bodies of water. More than one pair may exist in larger lakes, each pair occupying a bay or area of the lake. They prefer locations that are totally encircled by water, such as islands or emergent plants, and mate on land, frequently on the intended nest site. They construct their nests from a range of materials, such as mud, grass, moss, pine needles, leaves, and aquatic vegetation. Depending on the latitude, most clutches of two eggs are laid in May or June.

已知的物種

Total species known

5

博物館收藏的物種

Species in the collection

1

在香港已知的物種

Species in Hong Kong

3

References 參考文獻

Lovette, I. J., Fitzpatrick, J. W. (2016). Handbook of Bird Biology. Wiley-Blackwell.

Gill, F. B., Prum, R. O. (2019). Ornithology. W.H. Freeman & Co. Ltd.

Sjölander, S. & Ågren, G. (1972). Reproductive Behavior of the Common Loon. Wilson Bull, 84(3), 296–308. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4160227