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
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During the journey, participants can keep their eyes peeled for a wide variety of avian species spanning from the black-legged kittiwake to the razorbill to the Caspian tern, and to sweeten the deal, the surrounding waters are also brimming with humpback whales from early summer to late fall.
—
Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 9 Mar. 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
Sightings at Race Point in Provincetown included 3 Pacific loons, 15 common murres, 450 razorbills, 35 black-legged kittiwakes, 60 Iceland gulls, a glaucous gull, and 2 common redpolls.
—BostonGlobe.com, 22 Mar. 2023
Birds speaking in dialects of kittiwake and tern.
—The Guardian, Scientific American, 11 Nov. 2021
In 2018, National Geographic reported on mass die-offs of several species in Iceland including Atlantic puffins, black-legged kittiwake and black murres.
—Jennifer Walter, Discover Magazine, 29 May 2019
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Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 9 Mar. 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
Sightings at Race Point in Provincetown included 3 Pacific loons, 15 common murres, 450 razorbills, 35 black-legged kittiwakes, 60 Iceland gulls, a glaucous gull, and 2 common redpolls.
—BostonGlobe.com, 22 Mar. 2023
Birds speaking in dialects of kittiwake and tern.
—The Guardian, Scientific American, 11 Nov. 2021
In 2018, National Geographic reported on mass die-offs of several species in Iceland including Atlantic puffins, black-legged kittiwake and black murres.
—Jennifer Walter, Discover Magazine, 29 May 2019
Cite this Entry
“Kittiwake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kittiwake. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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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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