Black-legged Kittiwakes breed colonially on sea cliffs. In Canada, breeding colonies are concentrated in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in the waters around Newfoundland and in the High Arctic. Trends vary among colonies and regions, but overall, the population abundance in Canada has changed little relative to about 1970. Because the birds feed at or near the surface of the water, this species is highly susceptible to anthropogenic or climate-induced changes in the abundance or availability of prey. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Changes to prey availability have been greatly impacting the Black-legged Kittiwake. Warming marine ecosystems on the European side of the Arctic have likely created a diet shift, from Arctic prey species to a mixed diet of Atlantic species (Vihtakari et al. 2018). Changes in the availability of prey species or fishing practices may adversely affect its breeding success (Hatch et al. 2009). Range-wide population declines in the late 1990s are thought to be related to cascading change through the marine food web caused by abruptly warming oceans during that time period; shifts in plankton communities resulted in changes in the availabilty of small fish, its favourite prey (Descamps et al. 2017). This may have affected the Black-legged Kittiwake through reduced food availability and increased predation by large gulls, which is exacerbated when bait fish populations are low (Massaro et al. 2001, Descamps et al. 2017).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
