﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  12 
  1 
  

  

  Rissa 
  tridactyla 
  (Linnaeus) 
  

   Kittiwake 
  

  

  Plate 
  6 
  

  

  Larus 
  tridactylus 
  Linnaeus. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  Ed. 
  lo. 
  1758. 
  1:136 
  

  

  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  313 
  

   Rissa 
  tridactyla 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  40 
  

  

  ris'sa, 
  Icelandic 
  name; 
  tridac'tyla, 
  Gr. 
  r/DiSaKTvAos, 
  three-toed 
  

  

  Description. 
  Head, 
  neck, 
  tail 
  and 
  under 
  parts 
  white; 
  back 
  and 
  wings 
  

   pearl-gray 
  or 
  dark 
  bluish; 
  outer 
  web 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  primary 
  and 
  tip 
  of 
  wing 
  

   to 
  length 
  of 
  three 
  inches 
  black, 
  the 
  division 
  beijig 
  squarely 
  across 
  the 
  end 
  

   of 
  the 
  wing; 
  primaries 
  after 
  the 
  first 
  tipped 
  with 
  white 
  ; 
  bill 
  yellow 
  ; 
  jeet 
  black; 
  

   iris 
  reddish 
  brown; 
  eyelids 
  red; 
  hind 
  toe 
  a 
  mere 
  knob 
  without 
  any 
  nail. 
  In 
  

   ivinter: 
  Small 
  black 
  crescent 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  eye; 
  back 
  of 
  head 
  and 
  neck, 
  

   and 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  breast 
  tinged 
  with 
  bluish 
  gray, 
  changing 
  to 
  blackish 
  in 
  

   the 
  ear 
  region. 
  Young: 
  Crescent 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  eye, 
  ear 
  spot, 
  back 
  of 
  neck, 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  coverts, 
  band 
  at 
  tip 
  of 
  tail, 
  except 
  outer 
  feathers 
  black; 
  

   more 
  black 
  on 
  the 
  primaries 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  adult 
  ; 
  bill 
  dusky. 
  

  

  Length 
  16-17. 
  7 
  inches; 
  wing 
  12.25; 
  tail 
  4.5; 
  bill 
  1.3-1.5; 
  tarsus 
  1.3; 
  

   middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  1.8. 
  

  

  In 
  winter 
  and 
  immature 
  plumage 
  the 
  Kittiwake 
  bears 
  superficial 
  

   resemblance 
  to 
  the 
  Bonaparte 
  gull, 
  but 
  by 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  description 
  given 
  

   above, 
  and 
  plate 
  6, 
  the 
  distinction 
  is 
  easily 
  manifest. 
  Furthermore 
  

   the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  toe 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  species 
  is 
  an 
  easy 
  mark 
  of 
  identi- 
  

   fication 
  when 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  in 
  hand. 
  

  

  Giraud, 
  DeKay 
  and 
  Lawrence 
  mentioned 
  the 
  Kittiwake 
  as 
  occurring 
  

   on 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Long 
  Island. 
  J. 
  H. 
  Batty 
  in 
  Forest 
  and 
  Str 
  can't, 
  volume 
  

   7, 
  page 
  164, 
  treats 
  of 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  winter 
  visitant 
  on 
  our 
  coast. 
  Mr 
  Dutcher 
  

   calls 
  it 
  a 
  common 
  migrant 
  in 
  late 
  fall, 
  and 
  an 
  uncommon 
  winter 
  resident, 
  

   occurring 
  some 
  distance 
  off 
  shore, 
  his 
  dates 
  ranging 
  from 
  November 
  13 
  to 
  

   March 
  17. 
  It 
  is 
  apparently 
  rare 
  on 
  the 
  inland 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  William 
  

   Hopkins 
  has 
  reported 
  a 
  specimen 
  taken 
  at 
  Auburn, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  January 
  4, 
  1854 
  

   \see 
  Bost. 
  Soc. 
  Nat. 
  Hist. 
  Proc. 
  1856, 
  5 
  : 
  13]. 
  One 
  from 
  Seneca 
  lake 
  is 
  recorded 
  

   in 
  the 
  Auburn 
  list; 
  one 
  from 
  Oak 
  Orchard, 
  Orleans 
  county, 
  April 
  10, 
  1881, 
  

   by 
  David 
  Bruce; 
  one 
  from 
  Constantia, 
  Oswego 
  county, 
  November 
  9, 
  1890, 
  

  

  