Kittiwake
| Irish Name: | Saidhbhéar |
| Scientific name: | Rissa tridactyla |
| Bird Family: | Gulls |
red
Conservation status
Conservation status
Status
Summer visitor to steep coastal cliffs along all Irish coasts. Disperses to the open ocean in winter and less frequently seen.
Identification
A small gull, slightly larger than Black-headed Gull, which is basically grey above and white below. Adults are easily told apart from other gull species by the solid black wing tips, showing no 'mirrors' (white at the wing tip), and two toned grey upperwing. Adult birds have a yellow bill and dark legs. Adults show white heads in the summer and a dark patch behind the eye in the winter. Juvenile and first year birds have a bold dark 'W-pattern' across the wing and a dark tail band, although these features can be much faded by the first summer/second winter. Second year birds are similar to adult birds but can show black fringes to outer primaries, black on the bill or winter head patterning in the summer months.
Voice
Noisy at colonies, giving a nasal call resembling its name. Can often be heard clearly over the sounds of other birds at seabird colonies.
Diet
Fish, waste from commercial fishing and invertebrates.
Breeding
Forms colonies, sometimes thousands strong, often with other seabirds. Breeds on steep sea cliffs where it builds a nesting platform on the most vertical and sometimes improbably steep areas. Will occasionally use man-made structures such as old buildings, for example in Dunmore East, Co. Waterford.
Wintering
Winters at sea.
Monitored by
Breeding seabirds are monitored through breeding seabird surveys carried out every 15-20 years.
Small breeding colonies can be found at most headlands along all Irish coasts, with the largest (about 7,000 pairs) found along the Cliffs of Moher.
Quite common at sea outside of the breeding season.
Blog posts about this bird
A Feathered Farewell
[vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" column_margin="default" column_direction="default" column_direction_tablet="default" column_direction_phone="default" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" row_border_radius="none" row_border_radius_applies="bg" row_position_desktop="default" row_position_tablet="inherit" row_position_phone="inherit" overflow="visible" overlay_strength="0.3" gradient_direction="left_to_right" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_tablet="inherit" column_padding_phone="inherit" column_padding_position="all" flex_gap_desktop="10px" column_element_direction_desktop="default" column_element_spacing="default" desktop_text_alignment="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_backdrop_filter="none" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" column_link_target="_self" column_position="default" gradient_direction="left_to_right" overlay_strength="0.3" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" animation_type="default" bg_image_animation="none" border_type="simple" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text css="" text_direction="default"]It feels like only yesterday that we were welcoming back our summer breeding birds. Before you know it, eggs are hatched, chicks are fledged, and our feathered friends are off again, leaving our shores. Late summer welcomes a new crowd, such as the Sooty Shearwater, Great Shearwater and the occasional Wilson’s Storm-petrel; it won't be until autumn when we see the return of our wintering waterfowl and waders. Here's our summer species sendoff and where they'll be going next. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" column_margin="default" column_direction="default" column_direction_tablet="default" column_direction_phone="default" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" row_border_radius="none" row_border_radius_applies="bg" row_position_desktop="default" row_position_tablet="inherit" row_position_phone="inherit" overflow="visible" overlay_strength="0.3" gradient_direction="left_to_right" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_tablet="inherit" column_padding_phone="inherit" column_padding_position="all" flex_gap_desktop="10px" column_element_direction_desktop="default" column_element_spacing="default" desktop_text_alignment="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_backdrop_filter="none" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" column_link_target="_self" column_position="default" gradient_direction="left_to_right" overlay_strength="0.3" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" animation_type="default" bg_image_animation="none" border_type="simple" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text css="" text_direction="default"]
Back to the Sea
While the thought of being out at sea during the winter is enough to send some of us humans into hypothermia, it is welcome homecoming to some of our bird species. This is true for the Puffin, who disperses onto the Atlantic Ocean in the winter. Scientists are still studying exactly where they go, but according to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), their wintering range extends from the Northern Atlantic down to the northwest Africa. They aren't the only ones who take to the sea for our colder months. Gannets and Kittiwakes also take the high seas and spread across the Atlantic during the winter, some venturing down to the coasts of west Africa. Unlike Puffins and Kittiwakes, some Gannets stick around Ireland's coasts and can be seen throughout the year. Although not strictly a seabird, Red-necked Phalaropes migrate far off the shore, though scientists are still determining exactly where these birds go. It is suspected that the Red-necked Phalaropes which nest in Ireland are part of the population that also breeds in Iceland and the northern Scottish islands, are thought to winter on the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Peru. Breeding populations from Scandinavian and Russian winter in the Arabian Sea. Outside of the nesting season, these wading birds live entirely at sea, feeding on plankton until the spring. 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row_border_radius="none" row_border_radius_applies="bg" row_position_desktop="default" row_position_tablet="inherit" row_position_phone="inherit" overflow="visible" overlay_strength="0.3" gradient_direction="left_to_right" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_tablet="inherit" column_padding_phone="inherit" column_padding_position="all" flex_gap_desktop="10px" column_element_direction_desktop="default" column_element_spacing="default" desktop_text_alignment="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_backdrop_filter="none" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" column_link_target="_self" column_position="default" gradient_direction="left_to_right" overlay_strength="0.3" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" animation_type="default" bg_image_animation="none" border_type="simple" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text css="" text_direction="default"]Mainland Africa
Common Swifts, one of Ireland's fastest bird species, are like the forementioned seabirds in that they too don't touch land in the winter, but they aren't in the ocean, either. Instead, they are flying high above sub-Saharan Africa, never landing until they return back to their breeding grounds. While in the African skies, they follow the rains, taking advantage of insect increases after rainfall. Another insect-chasing (literally in its name) bird, the Spotted Flycatcher, heads south to central and southern Africa for the winter season. Research has shown that some individuals fly as far south as Namibia, a hefty 7,000 km from their breeding grounds. This distance rivals that covered by the Wheatear, which has one of the longest migrations of any songbird. Birds breeding in north-eastern Canada fly almost non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean to their sub-Saharan wintering grounds. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" column_margin="default" column_direction="default" column_direction_tablet="default" column_direction_phone="default" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" row_border_radius="none" row_border_radius_applies="bg" row_position_desktop="default" row_position_tablet="inherit" row_position_phone="inherit" overflow="visible" overlay_strength="0.3" gradient_direction="left_to_right" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_tablet="inherit" column_padding_phone="inherit" column_padding_position="all" flex_gap_desktop="10px" column_element_direction_desktop="default" column_element_spacing="default" desktop_text_alignment="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_backdrop_filter="none" 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column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text css="" text_direction="default"]Learn More
There are more birds leaving Ireland for the season than just the ones we've listed here. Visit our page of Irish birds to discover more. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Seabird Season is Winding Down
Dr. Samuel Preston, one of BirdWatch Ireland’s 2026 East Coast Seabird Survey team members, writes an update about the seabird breeding season update. 2026 is the third consecutive year in which we have been able comprehensively to census and monitor the cliff-nesting seabirds at six important colonies on the east coast, thanks to funding from the Phase One windfarms in the Irish Sea. All photos are taken under NPWS licensing.
Empty cliff faces greeted us this week as half our study plots were completely devoid of birds. For the auks, that's a sign of chicks fledging. For other birds, it's a sign of nests failing.
Kittiwakes have abandoned their unsuccessful cliffs. Adults that stood guard over empty nests have accepted their losses and gone back out to sea. What remains of their brief homes is reduced to debris being eroded by the wind. The cliffs are a lonely sight without them.
Nest failure is not unusual; a lot of things can go wrong between laying and fledging. Some eggs will never hatch. Disruptions to incubation can ruin development. Unlucky genetics can make some eggs non-viable, in which case even perfect incubation can't help. Both eggs and chicks are vulnerable to any predators that can get to them, and disease and parasites inevitably take a toll. And, of course, parents have to be able to find enough food for growing chicks. If fish are scarce, starvation is a very real possibility.
Our empty kittiwake cliffs are likely the result of predation. The areas where all kittiwakes have vanished are among the most exposed, and we have frequently observed predators (corvids, bigger gulls, and even peregrine falcon) at many of them. They're also the same areas that failed completely in previous years. Why birds keep coming back to these spots when they never seem succeed in fledging chicks is a mystery. Maybe they're inexperienced parents who haven't figured it out yet. Or maybe they're just making the best of it when all the better areas are full. Whatever the reason, it seems the odds are never on their side on these particular plots.
It's not all bleak everywhere, though. Those plots that are not as exposed have kittiwake chicks that are starting to think about flying, stretching and flapping their slightly-too-short wings in preparation for their first time in the air. It's like watching them getting ready for their first day at school.
These successful plots are vital. Black-legged kittiwakes are a red-listed species in Ireland and in decline around the world. Climate change and damage to prey habitats mean there's not enough small fish to secure their food supply, and populations have been falling for decades. Here on the east coast, the fate of our kittiwake population rests on those birds clever or lucky enough to nest in areas that escape the worst of predation. That's a lot of responsibility our young birds are carrying on their first flight.
Nest failure is not unusual; a lot of things can go wrong between laying and fledging. Some eggs will never hatch. Disruptions to incubation can ruin development. Unlucky genetics can make some eggs non-viable, in which case even perfect incubation can't help. Both eggs and chicks are vulnerable to any predators that can get to them, and disease and parasites inevitably take a toll. And, of course, parents have to be able to find enough food for growing chicks. If fish are scarce, starvation is a very real possibility.
Our empty kittiwake cliffs are likely the result of predation. The areas where all kittiwakes have vanished are among the most exposed, and we have frequently observed predators (corvids, bigger gulls, and even peregrine falcon) at many of them. They're also the same areas that failed completely in previous years. Why birds keep coming back to these spots when they never seem succeed in fledging chicks is a mystery. Maybe they're inexperienced parents who haven't figured it out yet. Or maybe they're just making the best of it when all the better areas are full. Whatever the reason, it seems the odds are never on their side on these particular plots.
It's not all bleak everywhere, though. Those plots that are not as exposed have kittiwake chicks that are starting to think about flying, stretching and flapping their slightly-too-short wings in preparation for their first time in the air. It's like watching them getting ready for their first day at school.
These successful plots are vital. Black-legged kittiwakes are a red-listed species in Ireland and in decline around the world. Climate change and damage to prey habitats mean there's not enough small fish to secure their food supply, and populations have been falling for decades. Here on the east coast, the fate of our kittiwake population rests on those birds clever or lucky enough to nest in areas that escape the worst of predation. That's a lot of responsibility our young birds are carrying on their first flight.
