Black-legged Kittiwake
Rissa tridactyla
Summary 7
The Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) is a seabird species in the gull family Laridae.
Taxon biology 8
Kittiwakes are true seabirds. They spend practically their entire life at sea. They only land on the coast to breed and make their nests on the steep cliffs of Heligoland, England, Scotland and Scandinavia. Since 2000, kittiwakes have also been breeding in Dutch territory, on drilling platforms at sea. Being at sea so much, they eat mostly fish, which they capture by hanging just above the water surface. They dive into the water as soon as they sight something that looks tasty. It's not difficult to make a mistake. When a kittiwake is found on the beach, it is usually a victim of marine litter, having mistaken it for something edible.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Caleb Slemmons, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/10028596@N00/7816179
- (c) Sciadopitys, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/6551794279_5497dc70a7_o.jpg
- (c) Sciadopitys, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7012/6551791741_47e7b8b5df_o.jpg
- (c) Caleb Slemmons, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm1.static.flickr.com/5/7816179_556f73120e_o.jpg
- (c) Biopix, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.biopix.com/PhotosMedium/ANE%20Rissa%20tridactyla%2000758.jpg
- Matthews, Sue, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/21009.jpg
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rissa_tridactyla
- (c) Copyright Ecomare, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28631912
