A snake-necked diver with a tip-tilted bill, held upwards. Dark, plain plumage in summer; pale in winter, with a white face.

The smallest diver, about the size of a Mallard, the Red-throated Diver is best distinguished by its slender bill which it holds tilted slightly upwards. It sits low in the water, rolling forwards to dive and often reappearing far away. It only comes to land to breed, but it flies frequently, especially in summer, making regular trips from the small lakes on which it nests to hunt for food at sea.