BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Rissa tridactyla
Black-legged Kittiwake
| Scientific Name: | Rissa tridactyla |
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| English Name: | Black-legged Kittiwake |
| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S1B,SNRN |
| Date Status Assigned: | March 25, 2022 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | March 25, 2022 |
| Reasons: | There is a single breeding colony in B.C.; however the numbers are increasing and the threats are likely low at this time. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | F = 20,000-200,000 square km |
| Range Extent Comments: | Found year around in open waters along the entire BC coast. R. t. pollicaris is the subspecies the Pacific (Hatch et al 2020). Thousands of Black-legged Kittiwakes feed in, and migrate through, Dixon Entrance and Hecate Strait (Hearne 2015). There is a single breeding colony in British Columibia, a rocky islet; Holland Rock, off the Skeena River in Chatham Sound, with confirmed nesting annually as far back as 1997, and possible breeding well before then (Hearne 2015). This is the only known colony of this subspecies of Black-legged Kittiwake in Canada. |
| Area of Occupancy (km2): | A = 1 |
| Area of Occupancy Comments: | Breeds on a single rocky islet, Holland Rock, off the mouth of the Skeena River in Chatham Sound. |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | A = 1 - 5 |
| Comments: | Holland Rock is the only location where this species has been found breeding. |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Comments: | Ensuring that cats, raccoons and rats do not become established on Holland Rock will be important to maintain the only colony of this subspecies in Canada. |
| Population Size: | BC = 50 - 1,000 individuals |
| Comments: | The following counts of individuals around the breeding colony are in the Breeding Bird Atlas account: 2012, 135 adults and 65 nests were counted on 27 May, and on 14 June, 238 adults and 18 nests were counted (Hearne 2015). |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | CD = Medium - low |
| Comments: | Likely low to medium. Main concerns would be an introduced predator such as raccoons, rats or cats; or an oil spill in the area (Hearne 2015). Could be prone to disturbance by human visitors at the wrong time of year. |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | I = Increase of >25% |
| Comments: | In July, 1993 about 40 individuals were seen on the rock (Hearne 2015).On June 23, 1997, one egg was found in one of three occupied nests located, and on June 19, 2002, there were twenty-three occupied nests, six with one egg. During the Atlas surveys, upwards of 120 adults were seen annually; in 2012, 135 adults and 65 nests were counted on 27 May, and on 14 June, 238 adults and 18 nests were counted (Hearne 2015). |
| Long-Term Trend: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Environmental Specificity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Other Rank Considerations: | Common non-breeder, with thousands in BC waters annually. S1BS5N is a likely complete rank. |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | |
| Inventory Needs: | Periodic counts of adults and nests would be helpful. |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | Monitoring of introduced predators to ensure early detection and eradication is important. |
| Management: | |
| Version | |
| Author: | Ramsay, L.R. updated by D.F. Fraser (2020, 2022) |
| Date: | January 12, 2022 |
| References | |
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Hatch, S.A., G.J. Robertson, and P.H. Baird. 2020. Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bklkit.01
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Hearne, M.E. 2015. Black-legged Kittiwake in Davidson, P.J.A., R.J. Cannings, A.R. Couturier, D. Lepage, and C.M. Di Corrado (eds.). The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of British Columbia, 2008-2012. Bird Studies Canada. Delta, B.C. http://www.birdatlas.bc.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=BLKI&lang=en [13 Jul 2015]
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2022. Conservation Status Report: Rissa tridactyla. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 6, 2026).