CreatureData

Red-legged kittiwake

Rissa brevirostris (Bruch, 1855)

VUVulnerablebirds

The red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris) is a species in the family Laridae, order Charadriiformes. Recorded adults weigh 377 g to 400 g and live up to 12.4 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

Red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris)
Photo: terathopius · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the red-legged kittiwake

Weight
377 g – 400 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
85 cm – 92 cmsrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
12.4 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
27 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
marinesrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
30.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Aerialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the red-legged kittiwake?

RED-LEGGED KITTIWAKE · WINGSPAN 92 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 92 cm, the recorded maximum wingspan of the red-legged kittiwake is about 54% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the red-legged kittiwake live?

Not recorded

What is the red-legged kittiwake?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris) is a seabird species in the gull family Laridae. It breeds in the Pribilof Islands, Bogoslof Island, and Buldir Island in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska, and the Commander Islands, Russia, and spends the winter at sea.

From the Wikipedia article “Red-legged kittiwake” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red-legged_kittiwake&oldid=1315327769), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the red-legged kittiwake endangered?

The red-legged kittiwake is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species. What the categories mean.

How is the red-legged kittiwake classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCharadriiformes
  5. familyLaridae
  6. genusRissa
  7. SpeciesRissa brevirostris (Bruch, 1855)

Synonyms Larus brevirostris

Other names and names in other languages (42)
  • نورس أحمر الساقArabic
  • Червенокрака чайкаBulgarian
  • Karaveg pavioù ruzBreton
  • Gavineta beccurtaCatalan
  • gavineta de bec curtCatalan
  • racek krátkozobýCzech
  • gwylan goesgochWelsh
  • Rødbenet RideDanish
  • KlippenmöweGerman
  • ruĝkrura mevoEsperanto
  • Gaviota piquicortaSpanish
  • punajalg-kaljukajakasEstonian
  • کاکایی صخرهنشین پاقرمزPersian
  • punajalkakajavaFinnish
  • Mouette des brumesFrench
  • Garrucho de patas vermellasGalician
  • ריסה אדומת-רגלHebrew
  • berinški galebCroatian
  • rövidujjú csüllőHungarian
  • Gabbiano zamperosseItalian
  • Gabbiano tridattilo zamperosseItalian
  • アカアシミツユビカモメJapanese
  • Кызыл бут бабырKyrgyz
  • raudonkojis kirasLithuanian
  • sarkankāju kaijaLatvian
  • Tónteel tsídii bijáád łichíʼígííNavajo
  • roodpootdrieteenmeeuwDutch
  • rødfotkrykkjeNorwegian
  • mewa krótkodziobaPolish
  • gaivota-de-patas-vermelhasPortuguese
  • gaivota-de-pernas-vermelhasPortuguese
  • gaivota-tridáctila-de-beringPortuguese
  • gaivota-tridáctila-de-pernas-vermelhasPortuguese
  • Красноногая моевкаRussian
  • Красноногая говорушкаRussian
  • čajka útesováSlovak
  • Crvenonogi troprsti galebSerbian
  • beringmåsSwedish
  • Kırmızı Ayaklı MartıTurkish
  • мартин червононогийUkrainian
  • 紅腳三趾鷗Chinese
  • 红腿三趾鸥Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the red-legged kittiwake

Other species in the same genus Rissa.

CompareRed-legged kittiwake vs Black-legged kittiwake

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the red-legged kittiwake?

An adult red-legged kittiwake weighs 377 g – 400 g and has a wingspan of 85 cm – 92 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the red-legged kittiwake endangered?

The red-legged kittiwake is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

How long does the red-legged kittiwake live?

The red-legged kittiwake has a recorded lifespan of 12.4 years.

What kind of animal is the red-legged kittiwake?

The red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris) belongs to the family Laridae in the order Charadriiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-legged-kittiwake

MLA

“Red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-legged-kittiwake.

BibTeX
@misc{red_legged_kittiwake_2026,
  title = {Red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-legged-kittiwake},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}