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Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) — photo 1 of 5
© Charles J. Sharp CC BY-SA 4.0

Gulls and terns · Shorebirds

Black-legged Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla

Voice

Call

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How to recognize it

  • Size of a herring gull

  • White body, grey back and wings

  • Black wing tips, black legs

  • Juveniles with a dark W across the wing and a black tail band

About the species

Often seen skimming above cold northern seas, the black-legged kittiwake spends much of its life over water and comes ashore mainly to breed. Its voice gave it its name — a sharp “kit-ti-wake” that carries through nesting colonies.

It flies with quick wingbeats and a light, wavering motion, and around cliffs it may loop and turn in tight space. Colonies are loud, and pairs greet each other at the nest with calling and bright bill displays. Young ones keep a dark band on the wing and tail for their first year.

It nests on steep sea cliffs and, in some places, on buildings or even street lights near the coast. Food is mainly fish, with small crustaceans and mollusks taken when fish are scarce. Outside the breeding season, it stays at sea and may move farther south in winter.

Where to find

  • Along sea-facing bridges, quays, and tall stone embankments — Black-legged Kittiwakes often perch on narrow ledges and call loudly in loose rows.

  • At steep coastal cliffs and rocky headlands — colonies are easiest to spot by the constant traffic to and from the nest ledges and white splashes on the rock.

  • Near fishing boats and busy harbors — watch for them hovering over the surface, then dropping to snatch small fish.

  • On windy days over open water — they stay on the wing with quick, light turns and looping flight.

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Sources