Editing Pacific loon (section)

==Taxonomy and etymology==
The Pacific loon, previously considered conspecific with the similar [[black-throated loon]], was classified as a separate species in 1985.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gove |first1=George |last2=Stymeist |first2=Robert |last3=Taylor |first3=Lee |date=2023-12-09 |title=Field Records: December 1985 |url=https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/bird_observer/vol14/iss2/9 |journal=Bird Observer |volume=14 |issue=2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Monroe |first1=Burt L. |last2=Banks |first2=Richard C. |last3=Fitzpatrick |first3=John W. |last4=Howell |first4=Thomas R. |last5=Johnson |first5=Ned K. |last6=Ouellet |first6=Henri |last7=Remsen |first7=James V. |last8=Storer |first8=Robert W. |date=1985-07-01 |title=Thirty-Fifth Supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/auk/102.3.680 |journal=The Auk |volume=102 |issue=3 |pages=680–686 |doi=10.1093/auk/102.3.680 |issn=0004-8038}}</ref> The genus name ''Gavia'' comes from the [[Latin]] for "sea mew", as used by ancient Roman naturalist [[Pliny the Elder]].<ref name=Johnsgard>{{cite book |title=Diving Birds of North America |first=Paul A. |last=Johnsgard |author-link=Paul Johnsgard |url=https://archive.org/details/divingbirdsofnor0000john |publisher=University of Nevada–Lincoln |year=1987 |isbn=0-8032-2566-0 |url-access=registration }}</ref> The [[specific name (zoology)|specific epithet]] ''pacifica'' is Latin for the [[Pacific Ocean]], the term meaning "peaceful".<ref name= job90>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher = Christopher Helm | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 |page = [https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n288 288]}}</ref>
 
The phylogeny of this species is debated, with the black-throated loon and the Pacific loon traditionally being considered [[sister species]], whereas a study using [[mitochondrial DNA|mitochondrial]] and [[Intron|nuclear intron DNA]] supported placing the black-throated loon sister to a [[clade]] consisting of the Pacific loon and the two sister species that are the [[common loon]] and the [[yellow-billed loon]]. In the former phylogeny, the split between the Pacific loon and the black-throated loon is proposed to have happened about 6.5 million years ago.<ref name="Sprengelmeyer2014">{{cite thesis|last=Sprengelmeyer|first=Quentin D.|title=A phylogenetic reevaluation of the genus ''Gavia'' (Aves: Gaviiformes) using next-generation sequencing|date=2014|type=[[Master of Science]]|publisher=[[Northern Michigan University]]}}</ref>