biostudies-literatureBertrand PNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of CanadaFonds de recherche du Québec—Nature et TechnologiesNational Centre for Research and DevelopmentNorwegian Polar InstituteNorwegian Financial MechanismPolish-Norwegian Research Programaraf018https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12322489biostudies-literatureUnknown36(4)Long-lived species must balance allocation between reproduction and self-maintenance, and such a trade-off is expected to affect their foraging behavior. A bimodal foraging strategy, where individuals alternate between long trips for self-maintenance and short trips for offspring provisioning, may reflect this compromise. Using tracking data collected over three breeding seasons, we investigated the occurrence of a bimodal foraging strategy and inter-annual variation in foraging decisions among black-legged kittiwakes (<i>Rissa tridactyla</i>) breeding in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Kongsfjorden, a glacial fjord with six tidewater glacier fronts, provides close foraging opportunities to breeding sites. The continental shelf break outside the fjord offers another foraging area but involves highBehavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral EcologyInterannual variation in foraging decisions in chick-rearing black-legged kittiwakes.PMC12322489POL-NOR/199377/91/2014Bertrand PYoccoz NGSteen HVihtakari MStrom HBety JElliott KHarris SMPatrick SCDescamps SfalseInterannual variation in foraging decisions in chick-rearing black-legged kittiwakes.Long-lived species must balance allocation between reproduction and self-maintenance, and such a trade-off is expected to affect their foraging behavior. A bimodal foraging strategy, where individuals alternate between long trips for self-maintenance and short trips for offspring provisioning, may reflect this compromise. Using tracking data collected over three breeding seasons, we investigated the occurrence of a bimodal foraging strategy and inter-annual variation in foraging decisions among black-legged kittiwakes (<i>Rissa tridactyla</i>) breeding in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Kongsfjorden, a glacial fjord with six tidewater glacier fronts, provides close foraging opportunities to breeding sites. The continental shelf break outside the fjord offers another foraging area but involves high2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Jul-Aug2026-05-10T01:53:37.023Z2026-05-08T03:05:04.882ZS-EPMC123224894076679610.1093/beheco/araf018