Black-legged kittiwake

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/black-legged-kittiwake

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Rissa tridactyla
2. What is the nesting behavior?Forms large, dense colonies on cliff ledges, providing protection from predators
3. What is a black‑legged kittiwake?It is a small gull that lives in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. It has black legs and a high‑pitched "kittee‑wa‑aaake" call. It belongs to the family Laridae.
4. Where do black‑legged kittiwakes nest?They build nests on steep cliffs, sea stacks, and even man‑made structures like piers and oil rigs. The cliffs keep predators away. They nest in large colonies with many pairs.

Onomatopoeia: A word that imitates the natural sound of the thing it describes, like 'buzz' or 'meow'.
Pelagic Fish: Fish that live in the open ocean, away from the coast and the seabed.
Bioaccumulation: The gradual accumulation of substances, such as pesticides or other chemicals, in an organism.