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Home/Species/ Black-legged Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Black-legged Kittiwake

G5Secure Found in 104 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
VulnerableIUCN
Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla). Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Public Domain (U.S. Government Work), via ECOS.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, https://www.usa.gov/government-works
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104258
Element CodeABNNM04010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNVulnerable
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderCharadriiformes
FamilyLaridae
GenusRissa
Other Common Names
Gaviota Tridáctila (ES) Mouette tridactyle (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Two races: Rissa tridactyla tridactyla (in Europe); and R. t. pollicaris (from the North Pacific). No information is available on genetic differences between subspecies, but R. t. pollicaris generally has a longer bill, slightly larger size, a better developed hind toe/claw, and more black in the primaries (Baird 1994).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-09
Change Date1996-11-27
Edition Date2008-01-09
Rank Reasons
Secure: widespread and abundant.
Range Extent Comments
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).
Threat Impact Comments
Potential threats include contamination of breeding and foraging habitat (e.g., from oil spills, contaminants such as mercury, and pesticides), depletion of prey species by commercial fisheries, and natural mortality from predation on eggs, chicks and adults, or chick death by falling from nests in breeding colonies (Baird 1994). These threats are neither widespread nor imminent.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

NON-BREEDING: primarily pelagic, sometimes along seacoasts, bays and estuaries, casually on large inland bodies of water (AOU 1983).

BREEDING: Nests on ledges of steep cliffs along coasts or on islands, often in association with other seabirds; sometimes on ledges of buildings. Nest is a cup-like structure of seaweeds, mosses, grasses, and mud.

Ecology

Ravens regularly prey on eggs and chicks and at least sometimes on adults. Adult annual survivorship was about 80% in one study (Aebischer 1990).

Reproduction

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).
Terrestrial Habitats
Cliff
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
Yukon TerritoryS2MYes
Northwest TerritoriesSUYes
OntarioS1MYes
QuebecS4BYes
New BrunswickS1BYes
NunavutS5BYes
Nova ScotiaS2BYes
LabradorS1BYes
Island of NewfoundlandS5BYes
Prince Edward IslandSNAYes
British ColumbiaS1B,SNRNYes
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
MaineS4NYes
FloridaSNRNYes
North CarolinaS1NYes
MarylandSNAYes
New HampshireSNAYes
MichiganSNRNYes
IllinoisSNAYes
DelawareSNAYes
WashingtonS4NYes
TexasSNAYes
AlabamaSNRNYes
ColoradoSNAYes
Rhode IslandSNAYes
OregonSNAYes
MissouriSNAYes
PennsylvaniaSNAYes
MassachusettsS4NYes
New YorkSNRNYes
GeorgiaSNRNYes
AlaskaS5B,S5NYes
South CarolinaSNAYes
VirginiaSNRNYes
New JerseyS4NYes
South DakotaSNAYes
VermontSNAYes
OhioSNAYes
CaliforniaSNRNYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)
11.1 - Habitat shifting & alterationPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)

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Roadless Areas (104)
Alaska (97)
AreaForestAcres
Bering LakeChugach National Forest965,076
Bering LakeChugach National Forest965,076
Boston BarChugach National Forest53,617
Boston BarChugach National Forest53,617
Brabazon AdditionTongass National Forest498,819
ChichagofTongass National Forest555,858
Chilkat-West Lynn CanalTongass National Forest199,772
Chugach-11Chugach National Forest104
Chugach-11Chugach National Forest104
Chugach-12Chugach National Forest8,116
Chugach-12Chugach National Forest8,116
Chugach-12Chugach National Forest8,116
Chugach-13Chugach National Forest13,337
Chugach-14Chugach National Forest184
Chugach-14Chugach National Forest184
Chugach-15Chugach National Forest56
Chugach-15Chugach National Forest56
Chugach-17Chugach National Forest19,954
Chugach-17Chugach National Forest19,954
Chugach-19Chugach National Forest18
Chugach-19Chugach National Forest18
Chugach-21Chugach National Forest634
Chugach-21Chugach National Forest634
Chugach-22Chugach National Forest801
Chugach-22Chugach National Forest801
Chugach-3Chugach National Forest27,386
Chugach-3Chugach National Forest27,386
Chugach-4Chugach National Forest2,797
Chugach-4Chugach National Forest2,797
Chugach-5Chugach National Forest114
Chugach-5Chugach National Forest114
Chugach-6Chugach National Forest503
Chugach-6Chugach National Forest503
Chugach-8Chugach National Forest21,559
Chugach-8Chugach National Forest21,559
ClevelandTongass National Forest189,447
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
Copper River WetlandsChugach National Forest85,972
Copper River WetlandsChugach National Forest85,972
Copper River WetlandsChugach National Forest85,972
Douglas IslandTongass National Forest28,065
DukeTongass National Forest45,091
Fidalgo-GravinaChugach National Forest257,968
Fidalgo-GravinaChugach National Forest257,968
Fidalgo-GravinaChugach National Forest257,968
Freshwater BayTongass National Forest44,933
Game CreekTongass National Forest54,469
GravinaTongass National Forest37,381
Johnson PassChugach National Forest152,508
Johnson PassChugach National Forest152,508
Juneau UrbanTongass National Forest101,581
Juneau-Skagway IcefieldTongass National Forest1,187,268
KadinTongass National Forest2,035
Kenai LakeChugach National Forest213,172
Kenai MountainsChugach National Forest306,600
Kenai MountainsChugach National Forest306,600
Kenai MountainsChugach National Forest306,600
MadanTongass National Forest68,553
Mansfield PeninsulaTongass National Forest54,991
MontagueChugach National Forest204,875
MontagueChugach National Forest204,875
Nellie JuanChugach National Forest713,697
Nellie JuanChugach National Forest713,697
Nellie JuanChugach National Forest713,697
North BaranofTongass National Forest314,089
North KruzofTongass National Forest33,146
North KupreanofTongass National Forest114,660
Point CravenTongass National Forest10,906
Port AlexanderTongass National Forest120,681
Prince William Sound Is.Chugach National Forest118,698
Prince William Sound Is.Chugach National Forest118,698
Prince William Sound Is.Chugach National Forest118,698
RedoubtTongass National Forest68,347
ResurrectionChugach National Forest224,615
ResurrectionChugach National Forest224,615
RhineTongass National Forest23,010
Roaded DonutChugach National Forest968
Salmon BayTongass National Forest22,793
Sheridan GlacierChugach National Forest224,683
Sheridan GlacierChugach National Forest224,683
Sheridan GlacierChugach National Forest224,683
Sitka UrbanTongass National Forest112,003
South KruzofTongass National Forest55,193
SullivanTongass National Forest67,323
Taku-SnettishamTongass National Forest664,928
Twenty MileChugach National Forest198,775
Twenty MileChugach National Forest198,775
Twenty MileChugach National Forest198,775
Upper SitukTongass National Forest16,789
Upper SitukTongass National Forest16,789
Upper SitukTongass National Forest16,789
Windham-Port HoughtonTongass National Forest161,952
Yakutat ForelandsTongass National Forest323,648
Yakutat ForelandsTongass National Forest323,648
Yakutat ForelandsTongass National Forest323,648
California (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mt. JacksonHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest20,721
Oregon (6)
AreaForestAcres
TenmileSiuslaw National Forest10,818
TenmileSiuslaw National Forest10,818
Umpqua SpitSiuslaw National Forest2,090
Umpqua SpitSiuslaw National Forest2,090
WoahinkSiuslaw National Forest5,309
WoahinkSiuslaw National Forest5,309
References (36)
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