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Red-legged Kittiwake
last update: Apr 21, 2009 10:30 AM
Latin name: Rissa brevirostris
Population: 291,000-321,000 individuals
Cites classified: Vulnerable
Where found: Bering Sea on Pribilof, Buldir, and Bogoslof Islands in the Aleutians and on the Commander Islands
Age/ life expectancy: 14 years
Wingspan: 85-92 cm
Length: 35-40 cm
Weight: 320-470 g
Mating/Breeding: Like its more common relative the Black-legged Kittiwake, Red-legged Kittiwake nests on the ledges of vertical sea cliffs; the two species of kittiwake can often be found nesting in the same sites, together with murres. Red-legged Kittiwake nests are shallow cups made of mud, grass, and kelp. Both sexes construct the nest, and both perform incubation duties. Nests contain one egg, or sometimes two. Chicks are fed by both parents, and remain in the nest for over five weeks.
Eggs: 1-2 greyish green eggs, blotched dark brown
Hibernation: winters on the North Pacific Ocean
Hunting Habits: surface feeding, head-dipping, and shallow diving
Feed on: marine invertebrates and fish
Predators: foxes, gulls, eagles, rate, jaegers, and humans
Colour/Body: It is a small gull closely resembling the more widespread Black-legged Kittiwake except for its red legs and more curved yellow bill. In breeding plumage, adults have an all-white head, white underparts, a white tail, a gray back, and gray wings with black tips. During the non-breeding season, they have a black "smudge" on each side of the head, behind the eyes. Young birds also show these black facial marks, along with a grayish-black collar along the back of the head.
