Kittiwake
| Kittiwake | |
|---|---|
| Rissa tridactyla in Vardø, Norway | |
| The call of a kittiwake, recorded on Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire, Wales | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Laridae |
| Subfamily: | Larinae |
| Genus: | Rissa Stephens, 1826 |
| Type species | |
| Rissa brunnichii = Larus tridactylus Stephens, 1826 | |
| Species | |
The kittiwakes (genus Rissa) are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae, the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and the red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris). The epithets "black-legged" and "red-legged" are used to distinguish the two species in North America, but in Europe, where Rissa brevirostris is not found, the black-legged kittiwake is often known simply as kittiwake. The name is derived from its call, a shrill 'kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake'. The genus name Rissa is from the Icelandic name Rita for the black-legged kittiwake.