Kittiwake Pictures, Photos, Photography

Kittiwakes are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae, which includes the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and the red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris). They are coastal breeding birds ranging in the North Pacific, North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. They form large, dense, noisy colonies during the summer reproductive period, often sharing habitat with murres. They are the only gull species that are exclusively cliff-nesting. 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 than red-legged kittiwakes. Other differences include a shorter bill, larger eyes, a larger, rounder head and darker grey wings in the red-legged kittiwake.