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Species

Black-legged Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla

Kittiwakes are a small type of gull, easy to recognize visually because of their black feet, and audibly because of their 'kittiwake' call. In adult plumage, they have a white body with a gray back, black wing tips, and black eyes with a red ring around it.

Red wooden structure with diagonal lines, and small in frame a black-legged kittiwake flying in the bottom right

They spent most of their life at sea, and only come on land to breed. Their nests are made on very narrow ledges on steep cliffs, or window ledges in cities, and they typically return to the same nest each year. Kittiwakes are rarely found on the ground, and have over time adapted towards breeding on steep cliffs.

They're an endangered species in Norway, having seen a 70% reduction in population size the last 3 generations (30 years). Their biggest threats are global warming, lack of food/overfishing, predators. In 2023, a large part of the kittiwake population in Norway died because of avian influenza, and oil spills can also cause great kittiwake losses.

Also known as

  • Rissa tridactyla (Scientific)
  • Black-legged Kittiwake (English)
  • Krykkje (Norwegian)
  • Drieteenmeeuw (Dutch)
  • Mouette tridactyle (French)

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Classification

  • Class: Aves (Birds)
  • Order: Charadriiformes (Shorebirds)
  • Family: Laridae (Gulls, terns, and skimmers)
  • Genus: Rissa (Kittiwakes)
  • Species: Rissa tridactyla (Black-legged Kittiwake)

Conservation status

Global: Vulnerable

Norway: Endangered

Photos

A kittiwake chick on the nest, having its beak wide open, exposing the pink inside of its mouth. It's a sunny day, and the picture is well lid with a lot of detail. The young kittiwake still has fluffy down and is very tiny, colored white ans gray, with a white beak.
Black-legged kittiwake sitting on top of wood boxes, looking down at the camera shouting, exposing the bright red inside of the beak.
A young kittiwake (second year) flying small in frame against a light overcast sky, from the right of the frame to the left. Two auks are flying in the background.
Portrait of a black-legged kittiwake, photographed from the chest upwards. The kittiwake is standing on the right side of the picture, looking towards the left, and the colors are a very cool aqua blue with contrasting yellow sunlight. The kittiwake has a white head, black eyes with a red ring around it, and a short bright yellow beak.
Portrait of a second year black-legged kittiwake, with a beige/brown blurry background. The kittiwake is photographed from the chest upwards, and has a white body, with gray wings, and some brown and black specks on the face.
adult kittiwake standing on top of a gull-poop-covered roof, on an overcast day, looking towards the right of the frame and shouting at something off-camera, beak wide open with the tongue out.

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