kittiwake
noun
kit·ti·wake
ˈki-tē-ˌwāk 
: either of two cliff-nesting gulls (Rissa tridactyla and R. brevirostris) that winter on the open ocean
Examples of kittiwake in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The seabirds that make this annual migration to breed also include cliff-nesting birds such as razorbills, guillemots, and kittiwakes, ground nesting birds such as terns (Arctic, Common and Roseate), and the endangered puffins.
—
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 May 2025
During a summertime visit, guests can marvel at huge crowds of northern gannets packed onto the surface of the formation, while other potential seabird sightings span from the common murre to the black-legged kittiwake to the little auk.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
Birds of the midnight sun by Knut-Sverre Horn Norwegian photographer Knut-Sverre Horn captured this majestic image of black-legged kittiwakes, a type of gull.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Oct. 2023
Birds blown in at Race Point in Provincetown included 43 red-necked phalaropes, a razorbill, 5 parasitic jaegers, 24 black-legged kittiwakes, a black tern, 3 Arctic terns, an Iceland gull, 60 Wilson’s storm-petrels, 4 sooty shearwaters, and 8 Manx shearwaters.
—BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2023
On a Zodiac ride off Alkefjellet, the air is alive with birds, including tens of thousands of Brünnich’s guillemots as well as glaucous gulls and kittiwakes, which nest in that island’s cliffs, while a young male polar bear munches on a ring seal, chin glistening red.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2023
Birds speaking in dialects of kittiwake and tern.
—The Guardian, Scientific American, 11 Nov. 2021
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Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 May 2025
During a summertime visit, guests can marvel at huge crowds of northern gannets packed onto the surface of the formation, while other potential seabird sightings span from the common murre to the black-legged kittiwake to the little auk.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
Birds of the midnight sun by Knut-Sverre Horn Norwegian photographer Knut-Sverre Horn captured this majestic image of black-legged kittiwakes, a type of gull.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Oct. 2023
Birds blown in at Race Point in Provincetown included 43 red-necked phalaropes, a razorbill, 5 parasitic jaegers, 24 black-legged kittiwakes, a black tern, 3 Arctic terns, an Iceland gull, 60 Wilson’s storm-petrels, 4 sooty shearwaters, and 8 Manx shearwaters.
—BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2023
On a Zodiac ride off Alkefjellet, the air is alive with birds, including tens of thousands of Brünnich’s guillemots as well as glaucous gulls and kittiwakes, which nest in that island’s cliffs, while a young male polar bear munches on a ring seal, chin glistening red.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2023
Birds speaking in dialects of kittiwake and tern.
—The Guardian, Scientific American, 11 Nov. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Kittiwake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kittiwake. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
kittiwake
noun
kit·ti·wake
ˈkit-ē-ˌwāk
: either of two gulls that nest on cliffs and winter on the open ocean
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