Kittiwake
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In Cornwall, Kittiwakes are most commonly encountered as a delicate, clifftop-nesting seabird, though the name also refers to several popular holiday retreats and a distinct shade of designer paint.
The Seabird:
In the UK, "Kittiwake" primarily refers to the Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), a gentle-looking, medium-sized gull known for its distinctive nasal 'kittee-wa-aaake' call.
Key Facts and Identification:
Where to see them in the UK:
Conservation Status:
The Seabird:
- The Black-legged Kittiwake is Cornwall's most "sea-loving" gull. Unlike other gulls, it avoids scavenging at inland tips and spends its winters out in the open Atlantic.
- Best Viewing Spots: Look for breeding colonies on sheer, narrow cliff ledges at locations such as Lizard Point, Land's End, and Porthmissen near Trevone.
- Seasonality: They typically return to Cornish cliffs to nest between February and August.
- Appearance: Distinguished by their "ink-dipped" black wingtips (no white spots), yellow bills, and short black legs.
In the UK, "Kittiwake" primarily refers to the Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), a gentle-looking, medium-sized gull known for its distinctive nasal 'kittee-wa-aaake' call.
Key Facts and Identification:
- Appearance: Adults have a silvery-grey back, white underparts, a yellow bill, and characteristic solid black wingtips that look as if they’ve been "dipped in ink". Unlike most gulls, they have black legs and only three toes.
- Behaviour: They are the most marine-dwelling gulls, spending winters far out in the Atlantic Ocean and only returning to land to breed.
- Diet: They feed primarily on small fish (especially sandeels), shrimps, and worms, and do not scavenge at landfills like other gulls.
Where to see them in the UK:
- Kittiwakes typically nest in massive, noisy colonies on sheer coastal clifftops and rock ledges from February to August.
- Coastal Cliffs: Major colonies are found at RSPB Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire, the Farne Islands in Northumberland, and various locations around Scotland, Orkney, and Shetland.
- Urban Colonies: The River Tyne is home to the most inland urban colony in the world, where birds nest on the Tyne Bridge and the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art.
Conservation Status:
- The species is currently on the UK Red List for Birds of Conservation Concern.
- Declines: UK populations have plummeted (down 43% since 2000), largely due to climate change affecting food supplies (sandeels) and recent devastating outbreaks of Avian Flu.
- Protection: Efforts like the closure of sandeel fisheries and the installation of "Kittiwake towers" or hammocks are aimed at stabilizing their numbers.