Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

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Adult

Color Photograph: U.S. Geological Survey

Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 16 inches.

Adult: A small, petite, all white bird. Bill short, triangular. Feet black.

Immature: Similar to the adult, but with scattered black spots and irregular lines. In particular rear margin of the wing black and the tail with a black terminal line.

Similar Species:  The Ivory Gull is easily identified by its all white coloration. The immature has black, irregular lines, but is basically white without gray or brown tints.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Ivory Gull breeds near the edge of the northern arctic pack ice. In North America the breeding range is largely restricted the Ellesmere Island. The species is more common breeding in far northern Europe and Asia.

Overwintering Range:  This species spends most of its winter at sea, typically off the ice pack areas of the Arctic Ocean.

Habitat:  The Ivory Gull spends the breeding season on the rocky cliffs or rocky shores of the far northern Arctic. Wintering individuals spend their lives at sea near the edges of the northern pack ice.

Food: This species is a scavenger on the kills of polar bears. The species also feeds on wolf dung, small mammals, crustaceans, and insects.

Behavior:  The Ivory gull is primarily a scanvenger on the pack ice of the far northern arctic. The voice is a sharp eeeer.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 2 dark-blotched olive-tan eggs. The eggs are laid in a nest lined with seaweed, moss, and lichens. The nest is typically placed on rocky beaches.