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.
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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