Red-legged Kittiwake
The Washington representatives of this family can be split into two groups, or subfamilies. The adaptable gulls are the most familiar. Sociable in all seasons, they are mainly coastal, but a number of species also nest inland. Many—but not all—are found around people. Gulls have highly variable foraging techniques and diets. Terns forage in flight, swooping to catch fish or insects. They dive headfirst into the water for fish. Although they are likely to be near water, they spend less time swimming than gulls.
General Description
Red-legged Kittiwake
This small gull breeds on a few islands in the Bering Sea region and winters at sea across the northern Pacific Ocean, west to Japan and east to the Gulf of Alaska. It is a close relative of the widely distributed Black-legged Kittiwake and similar in appearance. Some important differences are Red-legged Kittiwake’s shorter bill, red leg color (pink in juveniles), darker gray mantle, and the absence of the Black-legged’s strong black juvenal wing pattern. See field guides for other distinguishing traits.
The status of Red-legged Kittiwake in the Pacific Northwest is imperfectly known due to lack of observers in its pelagic habitat. However, it appears to be a rare but probably regular visitor to inshore and offshore waters along the outer coast. Most records are in winter and early spring (December through April): six from Oregon, five from Washington, and one from British Columbia. Eight of these 12 records have been of birds found dead or dying on beaches. The region’s three summer records—two from Washington, one from Oregon—occurred from late June to mid-August.
Revised June 2007
Family Members
- Laughing GullLarus atricilla
- Franklin's GullLarus pipixcan
- Little GullLarus minutus
- Black-headed GullLarus ridibundus
- Bonaparte's GullLarus philadelphia
- Heermann's GullLarus heermanni
- Black-tailed GullLarus crassirostris
- Short-billed GullLarus canus
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- California GullLarus californicus
- Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Thayer's GullLarus thayeri
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Slaty-backed GullLarus schistisagus
- Western GullLarus occidentalis
- Glaucous-winged GullLarus glaucescens
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Sabine's GullXema sabini
- Black-legged KittiwakeRissa tridactyla
- Red-legged KittiwakeRissa brevirostris
- Ross's GullRhodostethia rosea
- Ivory GullPagophila eburnea
- Least TernSternula antillarum
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- Elegant TernThalasseus elegans