Black-legged Kittiwake

seabirds · gulls · ocean · vocal

Named After Sound. The black-legged kittiwake's name comes directly from its loud, shrill call that sounds like 'kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake.' Scientists literally named this bird after what it sounds like.

Ocean Family Member. This seabird belongs to the gull family, Laridae, which includes many other seabirds that live near water and are excellent at catching fish.

Black Legs, Red Cousins. In North America, it's called the black-legged kittiwake to tell it apart from a similar cousin called the red-legged kittiwake that also lives there.

Scientifically Described. The famous scientist Carl Linnaeus first officially described this bird in 1758 in his important book about naming all living things, calling it Larus tridactylus.