Kittiwake

Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)

Rissa is a species of bird from the family of gulls ( Laridae ). The genus includes only two species, the Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla ) and the Klippenmöwe (Rissa brevirostris ). These are small gulls with a short, powerful beak, short legs and very largely reduced hind toe. While the Kittiwake is Holarctic spread the Klippenmöwe only occurs on the coasts of the northern Pacific. Both species breed in colonies on cliffs of the sea-coasts and can be found outside the breeding season exclusively on the open sea.

The genus Rissa was erected in 1826 by English zoologist James Francis Stephens.