With its breeding range spread across largely inaccessible tundra habitat in the Canadian Arctic, estimates of Yellow-billed Loon breeding numbers are sparse and likely inaccurate (North 1994). Wintering data collected during the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) along the Pacific coast are currently the only source of population trend estimates, but the number of counts included in the analysis is quite low (n=17), and the survey methods are not well suited to the species; birds wintering away from shore are not recorded. Furthermore, the results are only available at the continental level and thus are not specific to Canada because they may include birds that breed in Alaska. It is possible that the large decrease in population that is suggested by CBC results at the continental level is reflective of the Canadian population but, because of the above issues, this species is currently considered to be data deficient. Because of the lack of information, a national population goal for the Yellow-billed Loon has not yet been determined. Future assessments of status may be improved when results from the Arctic Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (Arctic PRISM) become available.
Additional information on: Christmas Bird Count (CBC)