kittiwake

kittiwake
/kit"ee wayk'/, n.
either of two small, pearl-gray gulls of the genus Rissa, the black-legged R. tridactyla of the North Atlantic and the red-legged and red-billed R. brevirostris, of the Bering Sea, both nesting on narrow cliff ledges and having a rudimentary hind toe.
[1655-65; imit.]

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or black-legged kittiwake

White oceanic gull (Rissa tridactyla) with pearl-gray mantle, black-tipped wings, black feet, and yellow bill.

Kittiwakes nest on narrow cliff ledges along the North and South Atlantic coasts. The red-legged kittiwake (R. brevirostris) is found in the Bering Sea region.

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▪ bird
also called  Black-legged Kittiwake 
 (Rissa tridactyla), oceanic gull, a white bird with pearl-gray mantle, black-tipped wings, black feet, and yellow bill. It nests on the North and South Atlantic coasts. Kittiwakes have evolved a number of behavioral and structural modifications for nesting on narrow cliff ledges. A close relative, with red bill and feet, is the red-legged kittiwake (R. brevirostris), which inhabits the region of the Bering Sea.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • kittiwake — [kit′i wāk΄] n. pl. kittiwakes or kittiwake [echoic of its cry] any of a genus (Rissa) of small gulls of the northern oceans, that nest in cliffs and have a short or rudimentary hind toe …   English World dictionary

  • Kittiwake — Kit ti*wake (k[i^]t t[i^]*w[=a]k), n. (Zo[ o]l.) A northern gull ({Rissa tridactyla}), inhabiting the coasts of Europe and America. It is white, with black tips to the wings, and has only three toes. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • kittiwake — ► NOUN ▪ a small gull that nests in colonies on sea cliffs and has a loud call that resembles its name …   English terms dictionary

  • Kittiwake — Taxobox name = Kittiwakes image width = 240px image caption = Black legged Kittiwakes, Rissa tridactyla , nesting on the Farne Islands, Northumberland, UK regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Charadriiformes familia = Laridae …   Wikipedia

  • Kittiwake — tripirštis kiras statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Rissa tridactyla angl. Kittiwake vok. Dreizehenmöwe …   Paukščių anatomijos terminai

  • kittiwake — noun Etymology: imitative Date: 1661 either of two cliff nesting gulls (Rissa tridactyla and R. brevirostris) that winter on the open ocean …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • kittiwake — noun Either of two small gulls in the genus Rissa of the family Laridae that nest in colonies on sea cliffs and spend the winter on the open ocean …   Wiktionary

  • kittiwake —  Type of gull …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • kittiwake — n. small pearl gray gull that nests on narrow sea cliffs …   English contemporary dictionary

  • kittiwake — [ kɪtɪweɪk] noun a small gull that nests in colonies on sea cliffs and has a loud call resembling its name. [Rissa tridactyla.] …   English new terms dictionary

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