Western Bird Guide: Birds of the Rockies and West to the Pacific

by Charles K. Reed

RED-LEGGED KITTIWAKE.

41. Rissa brevirostris. 16 inches.

This Kittiwake is very much like the former, excepting that the legs are bright red, the mantle is darker and the bill shorter. They usually nest in separate colonies from the former, and can be readily identified when in flight by the red legs.

Nest.—They have been found abundantly on the islands of the Bering Sea, nesting on the higher ledges and cliffs. The color of the eggs is buffy or brownish, blotched and spotted with lilac and shades of brown.

Range.—Northwestern coast and islands of Bering Sea.

GLAUCOUS GULL.

42. Larus hyperboreus. 28 inches.

This is one of the largest of the Gulls; mantle light gray; it is distinguished by its size and the primaries, which are white to the tips. It is a powerful bird that preys upon the smaller Gulls, eating both the eggs and young.

Nest.—Of seaweed on ledge of sea cliff, eggs three in number, in shades of light drab to brown, spotted with brown and black.

Range.—Arctic regions, in winter south to San Francisco Bay.