birds free wallpaper 99: Black legged Kittiwake

Tuesday 29 May 2012

Black legged Kittiwake

Black Legged Kittiwake Biography

A pelagic gull, this kittiwake spends most of the year at sea. The Black-legged Kittiwakes gather in areas of upwellings, sometimes over the edge of the continental shelf. They can be found from the coast to over a hundred miles offshore. They breed on narrow cliff ledges in the far north.

Black-legged Kittiwakes are surface feeders, dropping from flight to take items off the surface of the water, or plunging into the water for prey just below the surface, but not diving deeply. They also forage while swimming. They are generally silent when seen in Washington, but on their breeding grounds, Black-legged Kittiwakes are very vocal, repeating a call that sounds like their name.

Small surface-schooling fish make up the majority of the Black-legged Kittiwake's diet. When these fish aren't available, the kittiwakes eat krill and other sea creatures. They occasionally feed on waste from ships. Black-legged Kittiwakes do not feed at garbage dumps as do many other gull species.

Black-legged Kittiwakes are monogamous during the breeding season, but do not maintain their pair bonds during the non-breeding season. Many will, however, re-pair with the same mate in the following year. They first breed at 3-5 years of age. On a narrow cliff edge, both parents help build a nest of mud, seaweed, and grass with a shallow depression in the middle. The female lays 1-3 eggs, and both sexes help incubate for about 4 weeks. The young stay in the nest for 5-8 weeks, and both parents provide food. After fledging, the young may return to the nest for a few more weeks. The nest ledges are so narrow that the birds must face towards the cliff, with tails pointed out, to fit.

Black Legged Kittiwake