Black-legged Kittiwake vs Red-legged Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla compared with Rissa brevirostris

Key Differences

• Black-legged Kittiwake is Endangered while Red-legged Kittiwake is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-legged Kittiwake	Red-legged Kittiwake
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)
Family same	Laridae	Laridae
Genus same	Rissa	Rissa
Species	Rissa tridactyla	Rissa brevirostris

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-legged Kittiwake and Red-legged Kittiwake share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Rissa.

Conservation Status

Black-legged Kittiwake

EN — Endangered

Red-legged Kittiwake

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-legged Kittiwake	Red-legged Kittiwake
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-legged Kittiwake

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Venezuela). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Red-legged Kittiwake

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found in Norway. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Black-legged Kittiwake

Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. At high risk of extinction in the wild, with significant population decline and ongoing threats to survival.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway