Species: Rissa tridactyla
Black-legged Kittiwake
Species
Show on Lists
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Aves
Order
Charadriiformes
Family
Laridae
Genus
Rissa
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
Gaviota Tridáctila - mouette tridactyle
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Other Birds
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Charadriiformes - Laridae - Rissa - generally has a longer bill, slightly larger size, a better developed hind toe/claw, and more black in the primaries (Baird 1994).
Ecology and Life History
Short General Description
A small gull.
Migration
false - false - true - Occurs in winter in southern part of breeding range; migratory status in those areas? Arrives in breeding areas late February-early March in south, April-May in north (Terres 1980). Fall migration from Beaufort Sea region apparently begins in late August (Johnson and Herter 1989).
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
Feeds on small fishes, mollusks, crustaceans, and plankton. Feeds from surface, mostly at sea; follows ships in large flocks and eats refuse. Drinks salt water.
Reproduction Comments
Eggs laid mostly in June at Semidi Islands, Alaska (Hatch and Hatch 1988). Clutch size 1-3 (usually 2). Incubation by both sexes, 23-32 days (Terres 1980) (also reported as 25-31 days). Young tended by both adults, depart nest at 36-53 days (average 42, see Hatch and Hatch 1990); can fly at about 38-48 days (Terres 1980); fledging begins in August in Alaska (Hatch and Hatch 1988). Rarely more than 1 young survives to fledging (Braun and Hunt 1983). Nests in large colonies. In western Alaska, reproductive success generally was low or nil in years with cold spring weather (Murphy et al. 1991).
Ecology Comments
Ravens regularly prey on eggs and chicks and at least sometimes on adults. Adult annual survivorship was about 80% in one study (Aebischer 1990).
Length
43
Weight
421
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
2008-01-09
Global Status Last Changed
1996-11-27
Other Status
LC - Least concern
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
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Global Range
Breeding range is circumpolar and primarily includes islands and suitable shores of the Arctic Ocean, southward to the Aleutian Islands and southern Alaska, southeastern Canada, France, Kuril Islands, and Sakhalin, Russia. During the nonbreeding season, the western (Pacific) population occurs primarily from the pack ice edge south to Baja California, Mexico; also along the northern coast of china to Japan, with small numbers in Korea and Turkestan. Eastern populations winter offshore from Newfoundland south to Florida and the Gulf coast. European populations winter south to northwestern Africa. The species occurs casually in Hawaii, interior North America, and Italy (Baird 1994).