Black-legged Kittiwake
Black-legged KittiwakeBlack-legged KittiwakeBlack-legged KittiwakeBlack-legged Kittiwake

Black-legged Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Redwood National Park
86 Verified records at Redwood National Park
February Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) is a seabird species in the gull family Laridae. This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Larus tridactylus. The English name is derived from its call, a shrill 'kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake'. In North America, this species is known as the black-legged kittiwake to differentiate it from the red-legged kittiwake, but in Europe, where it is the only member of the genus, it is often known just as kittiwake. Wikipedia →

<5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-legged Kittiwake sighting in Redwood National Park, based on 86 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Redwood National Park

Western Gull
LC

Western Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus occidentalis

30–40% · Possible
California Gull
LC

California Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus californicus

20–30% · Possible
Glaucous-winged Gull
LC

Glaucous-winged Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus glaucescens

10–20% · With luck
Short-billed Gull

Short-billed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus brachyrhynchus

10–20% · With luck
American Herring Gull
LC

American Herring Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus smithsonianus

10–20% · With luck
Caspian Tern
LC

Caspian Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydroprogne caspia

5–10% · With luck
Ring-billed Gull
LC

Ring-billed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus delawarensis

5–10% · With luck
Heermann's Gull
NT

Heermann's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus heermanni

5–10% · With luck
Iceland Gull
LC

Iceland Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus glaucoides

5–10% · Rare
Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

<5% · Rare
Sabine's Gull
LC

Sabine's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Xema sabini

<5% · Rare
Elegant Tern
NT

Elegant Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus elegans

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

10–20
Jan
10–20
Feb
10–20
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
5–10
Nov
5–10
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
70–80%
2 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
3 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
10–20%
4 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
5 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
6 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
5–10%
7 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
9 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
10 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
11 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
12 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
13 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
14 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
15 Thingvellir National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
Insufficient data
16 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
17 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Insufficient data
18 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
19 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
20 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Black-legged Kittiwake in Redwood National Park?

About 4% of wildlife watchers report a Black-legged Kittiwake sighting in Redwood National Park, based on 86 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Black-legged Kittiwake in Redwood National Park?

February has the highest sighting rate for Black-legged Kittiwake in Redwood National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Redwood National Park