Ivory Gull

The Ivory Gull is one of the most beautiful and distinctive gulls in the world, with adults sporting an entirely pure white plumage unlike any other gull species. This ghostly white bird is set off by jet-black legs, a dark eye, and a short, stout bill that is dark at the base with a yellow tip.

Juveniles differ noticeably from adults, showing black speckling on the face and scattered dark markings across the wings and tail, gradually molting into the pure white adult plumage over a couple of years.

One of the most sea-ice-dependent birds in the world, the Ivory Gull is closely associated with the edge of pack ice year-round, often following polar bears to scavenge the remains of seal kills, and rarely if ever venturing far from ice or open Arctic water.

Key field marks

• Entirely pure white plumage as an adult
• Black legs
• Short, stout bill, dark at the base with a yellow tip
• Dark eye
• Juveniles show black speckling on the face and wingtips

Similar species

• No other gull is entirely white as an adult, making the Ivory Gull essentially unmistakable in its Arctic range; leucistic (partially white) individuals of other gull species lack the black legs and bill pattern and are typically found well outside true Arctic pack-ice habitat.

Habitat

Among the most ice-dependent of all birds, closely tied to pack ice, sea ice edges, and polynyas (areas of open water within ice) throughout the year; breeds on remote cliffs and rocky outcrops, sometimes directly on ice, in the High Arctic.

Range and migration

Breeds in scattered, remote colonies across the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, Svalbard, and the Russian Arctic. Largely resident within the Arctic region year-round, moving only as far as necessary to stay near the edge of the pack ice, and only rarely straying south of the Arctic.

Behavior

A bold scavenger, the Ivory Gull is often found at seal, whale, and walrus carcasses, sometimes gathering alongside polar bears and Glaucous Gulls to feed on remains left by predators.

Voice

Calls include a harsh, tern-like shriek and various guttural notes given at breeding colonies.

Feeding

Feeds heavily on carrion from marine mammal carcasses, as well as fish and invertebrates found near ice edges, and sometimes scavenges polar bear kills directly.

Nesting and breeding

Nests on remote cliff ledges, rocky outcrops, or occasionally flat ground near ice, usually in small, loose colonies. Clutches typically contain one to two eggs, incubated by both parents.