A case study of infanticide in the Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)

Infanticide in Black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) has been reported only once. We report two adult kittiwakes killing chicks in an urban colony in northeast England. The first adult expelled all three chicks on its nest. The first chick to be expelled re-entered the nest and was killed nine days later by a neighbouring adult. The second chick expelled fell to its death. The third chick was attacked by the adult on the nest and left the nest cup. It later re-entered and then exited again following aggression and relocated to a neighbouring nest. This third chick then disappeared. We detail the behavioural sequences in these events and raise some tentative hypotheses about infanticide in this species.