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Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla

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Gentle-faced gull of sea cliffs; named after its call.

Species Profile

Red List (UK); populations declining due to food shortages, particularly sand eels, linked to climate change and overfishing

Lifespan: 15–20 years in the wild; some individuals recorded living over 30 years
Size & Weight: 37–39 cm; wingspan 70–82 cm; 380–500 g
Habitat: Coastal cliffs and rocky outcrops where they nest in colonies, spending winters at sea over deep Atlantic and North Sea waters.
UK Distribution: Breeds at scattered colonies around UK coasts, particularly in Scotland (St Kilda, Orkney, Shetland), northern England, and Wales; migratory, wintering in the Atlantic.
Diet: Small fish and crustaceans caught by plunge-diving and surface-feeding; primarily sand eels, sprats, and capelin.
Prey: Sand eels, sprats, capelin, small fish, and occasionally small crustaceans
Predators: Great skuas, lesser black-backed gulls, and occasionally peregrine falcons; eggs and chicks vulnerable to herring gulls and ravens
Mating Season: April to August
Breeding: Clutch of 1–3 eggs (usually 2); incubation period 25–32 days; fledglings leave nest at 32–39 days; typically one brood per year
Behaviour: Highly social, nesting in large, noisy colonies where pairs engage in ritualistic head-nodding and mutual preening. They are faithful to breeding sites and partners year after year. Known for their distinctive three-toed foot (hence tridactyla), lacking the hind toe of other gulls.

Did You Know?

•The name 'kittiwake' is derived from their distinctive two-syllable call: 'kitti-way-ike'
•They are the smallest gull species in the UK and are uniquely adapted to life at sea with reduced webbing between toes
•Kittiwakes can dive to depths of 3–4 metres to catch fish, though they typically feed near the surface
•St Kilda holds one of the largest kittiwake colonies in the world, though numbers have crashed by over 70% since the 1980s
•Unlike most gulls, kittiwakes are highly migratory, with some populations crossing the Atlantic to winter off Greenland and Canada

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