Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) (aka Black-legged Kittiwake) |
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Dunbar, Scotland The Black-legged Kittiwake is the most numerous gull in the world with about 7 million pairs. It is found in polar and temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere where it breeds in large colonies during the summer while it spends all winter without touching land in the middle of the northern oceans. |
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It has a fairly large head and short legs in comparison with the rest of its body. The adult has a blue-grey
mantle and upper wings, a yellow bill and black legs. The wings have a small black triangle at the tips. It has a thin red eye ring which you can
just make out in the first photo.
The immatures in photos 5 to 8 have a black zigzag pattern across the upper wing, a black half collar at the back of the neck, a black bill and a black band just before the tip of the tail. |
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There are illustrations in HBW,Volume 3, Pages 588 and 620. | ||||
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