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  Profile

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  In flight

Seabirds

Red-legged Kittiwake

Rissa brevirostris

• rare
• 55 km/h
• Vulnerable

Breeds on only four island groups in the Bering Sea. Coral-red legs, big dark eyes, vanishingly rare.

Population

~280,000-380,000 mature individuals (declining); BirdLife/IUCN 2018 point estimate ~279,600 (band 100,000-499,999), Wikipedia cites 337,000-377,000

Habitat

Breeds on sheer sea cliffs on remote Bering Sea islands; forages over deep offshore waters (200-2,000 m) during breeding season; pelagic, wintering far out at sea

Fun fact

Unlike its more common relative the Black-legged Kittiwake, the Red-legged Kittiwake breeds at only four remote island groups in the Bering Sea and is named for its bright red (rather than black) legs.

Range

Breeds at only four island groups in the Bering Sea: the Pribilof Islands, Bogoslof Island, and Buldir Island (Alaska, USA) and the Commander Islands (Russia); ranges/winters across the North Pacific including the Gulf of Alaska, Sea of Okhotsk, and Kuril Islands, with occasional vagrants to Japan and the western US

Diet

Mainly small fish (especially lanternfish/myctophids and walleye pollock), plus squid and zooplankton

Size

0.37 m

Wingspan

0.88 m

Lifespan

27 years