Red-legged Kittiwake

Rissa brevirostrisOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)

Codes: Common Name: RLKI Scientific Name: RISBRE ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176845

Related Birds

Black-legged Kittiwake

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Overview

Red-legged Kittiwake: Small Alaskan gull white overall with gray back and wings, small yellow bill and bright red legs. Black wingtips. Eats small fish, squid, and marine zooplankton. Graceful, bouyant flight with rapid, shallow wing beats. Hovers briefly above prey before dipping down to sieze it.

Range and Habitat

Red-legged Kittiwake: Found only on the open ocean or around the rocky sea cliffs of the Aleutian Islands where they gather to breed.

Topo Map: Gull-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"kittiwake"

Interesting Facts

Populations of the Red-legged Kittiwake have dropped significantly at its main breeding site in the Pribilof Islands since the 1970s, probably due to low marine food productivity over an extended period of time.

There is concern that commercial fishing might be one of the reasons that food supplies for kittiwakes and other animals has been reduced in the area.

Recent development of a harbor in the Pribilofs has increased fear of the accidental introduction of the Norway rat, a nest predator, to the islands.

A group of kittiwakes are collectively known as a "flock" of kittiwakes.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Red-legged Kittiwake

● Song: "kittiwake"

● Foraging & Feeding: Red-legged Kittiwake: Feeds on small fish and invertebrates that are captured at or near the water's surface over the open ocean. Picks food from surface and makes shallow dives.

● Breeding & nesting: Red-legged Kittiwake: Nests in colonies on the tiny ledges of sheer sea cliffs on a few islands in the Aleutian Chain of Alaska. Both sexes bring mud and grass to make small simple platform. Lays one to three gray, green, or pink buff eggs marked with olive or brown. Both sexes incubate for around 30 days. Chicks fledge when 37 days old.

● Similar species: Red-legged Kittiwake: Black-legged Kittiwake has paler underwings and black legs.

Flight Pattern

Strong direct flight.

● Range & Habitat: Red-legged Kittiwake: Found only on the open ocean or around the rocky sea cliffs of the Aleutian Islands where they gather to breed.

^BreedingColonial nester

^PopulationFairly common, but local

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight14.1 Ounces

Gull-like Body

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America