Black-legged Kittiwake
Rissa tridactyla
Conservation Status
VulnerableAves · Charadriiformes · Laridae
About
The black-legged kittiwake is a seabird species in the gull family Laridae. This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Larus tridactylus. The English name is derived from its call, a shrill 'kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake'. 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.
Fun Fact
Kittiwakes nest on cliff ledges so narrow that the chicks have evolved to sit completely still—unlike other gulls, they have no fear response to falling.
Quick Facts
Habitat
Found all across the northern coasts of the Atlantic, from Canada to Greenland as well as on the Pacific side from Alaska to the coast of Siberia.
Diet
Prey species, their reproductive success highly depends on fish availability.
Lifespan
To be updated
Threats
- Habitat Change
- Human Disturbance