Kittiwake numbers have more than halved since the mid–1980s across the UK, and populations in Scotland have crashed by almost two thirds. One Scottish Kittiwake breeding colony is now extinct and others predicted to disappear within three years.

Climate change, is believed to be responsible for the dramatic collapse.

Kittiwakes

The kittiwakes are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae. They are the Black-legged Kittiwake - Rissa tridactyla -  and the Red-legged Kittiwake - Rissa brevirostris. "Black-legged" and "Red-legged" are used to distinguish the two species in North America, but in Europe, where Rissa brevirostris is not found, the Black-legged Kittiwake is often known simply as Kittiwake.

Description

The two species are physically very similar. They have a white head and body, grey back, grey wings tipped solid black and a yellow bill. Black-legged Kittiwake adults are somewhat larger. Other differences include a shorter bill, larger eyes, a larger, rounder head and darker grey wings in the Red-legged Kittiwake. While most Black-legged Kittiwakes do, indeed, have dark-grey legs, some have pinkish-grey to reddish legs, making colouration a somewhat unreliable identifying marker. Juveniles have white underparts, gray back, gray patches on nape and crown, dark spot at the ears, black collar, black wingtips, and a dark bar across the wing. Wings show a dark "M" pattern in flight. Tail white with a black tip. Legs black.

Call

The name is derived from its call, a shrill 'kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake'.

Food

They are mainly fish feeders, but do eat some marine invertebrates and do not scavenge at tips like some other gull species.

Breeding

Kittiwakes are coastal breeding birds ranging in the North Pacific, North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. They are the only gull species that are exclusively cliff-nesting. They form large, dense, noisy colonies during the summer. One to three buff spotted eggs are laid in the nest lined with moss or seaweed. The downy young of Kittiwakes are white, since they have no need of camouflage from predators, and do not wander from the nest like the gulls for obvious safety reasons.

Conservation Status – Least Concern

This species has an extremely large range and as such is evaluated as Least Concern. However Climate change, is believed to be affecting this species negatively as seen in the UK.

Birdwatching

Ask Aves Birding Tours to create a tour for you to see these beautiful birds.