The black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) is a seabird species in the gull family Laridae.
This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Larus tridactylus.
In North America, this species is known as the black-legged kittiwake to differentiate it from the red-legged kittiwake, but in Europe, where it is the only member of the genus, it is often known just as kittiwake.
The adult is 37–41cm (15–16in) in length with a wingspan of 91–105cm (36–41in) and a body mass of 305–525g (10.8–18.5oz). It has a white head and body, grey back, grey wings tipped solid black, and have black legs and a yellow bill. Occasional individuals have pinky-grey to reddish legs, inviting confusion with red-legged kittiwake. In winter, this species acquires a dark grey smudge behind the eye and a grey hind-neck collar. The name is derived from its call, a shrill 'kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake'.
It is a coastal breeding bird around the north Pacific and north Atlantic oceans, found most commonly in North America and Europe. It breeds in large colonies on cliffs and is very noisy on the breeding ground. Cliff nesting for gulls occurs only in the Rissa species, and the kittiwake is capable of utilizing the very sheerest of vertical cliffs, as is evident in their nesting sites on Staple Island in the outer Farne Islands (Hogan, 2005). One to two buff spotted eggs are laid in the nest lined with moss or seaweed. The downy young of kittiwakes are white, since they have no need of camouflage from predators, and do not wander from the nest like Larus gulls for obvious safety reasons.
There were many on that trip – sighting a polar bear and her cubs; tooling around in a zodiac looking at the icebergs in Greenland, each a distinctive shape; the black-legged Kittiwakes on a tiny ...
Species such as the Herring Gull, the Lesser Black-backed Gull, and the Black-legged Kittiwake potentially have a behavioral flexibility that allows them to nest in more challenging locations like rooftops.
It suggests that species such as the herring gull, the lesser black-backed gull and the black-legged kittiwake possess a behavioral flexibility that enables them to nest in more challenging locations.
It suggests that species such as the Herring Gull, the Lesser Black-backed Gull and the Black-legged Kittiwake possess a behavioral flexibility that enables them to nest in more challenging locations.
... of call before crossing the Lancaster Sound to Elwin Bay, rich in wildlife from thick-billed murres, black guillemots, northern fulmars and black-legged kittiwakes to Beluga whales and ringed seals.
Following the area’s closure, sandeel numbers grew and that corresponded with an initial increase in the number of fledged chicks in black-legged kittiwakes , an iconic gull species that has declined in recent decades.
Following the area's closure, sandeel numbers grew and that corresponded with an initial increase in the number of fledged chicks in black-legged kittiwakes, an iconic gull species that has declined in recent decades.
It felt like watching one of those blockbusters about the end of the world. Like witnessing an apocalypse, but in real life. Which, in a way, it was ...Last year, ornithologists found about 12,000 dead black-legged kittiwakes in Norway ... The risk to people.
For instance, many birds that forage at sea, like black-legged kittiwakes and lesser black-backed gulls, may be especially unlikely to see or avoid wind turbines.
Black legged kittiwakes often mate for life ... In our recent study , we found that pairs of a black-legged kittiwakes, a type of seabird, with similar personalities make better parents and that this reduces the likelihood of re-pairing.
The other common gull is Franklin’s gull, which has a black head ...Species that have been recorded here are Thayer’s, glaucous and Sabine’s gull and the black-legged kittiwake, all Arctic species that happen to wander about a good deal.
In a new paper, researchers found that black-legged kittiwake couples that were more compatible were less likely to lose their chicks, which is one of the few things that can push these usually ...
Advertisement 2. Story continues below ... SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES ... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... ... Bird-watcher? Prince Leopold Island’s vast cliffs swarm with nesting thick-billed murres, northern fulmars, black-legged kittiwakes, black guillemots and other seabirds.
Gloucester Times
08 Jan 2024
Gloucester Times
08 Jan 2024