Birds
Ivory Gull
Pagophila eburnea · also called ivory gulls
Trailing a polar bear across the pack ice, an ivory gull waits patiently for the scraps of a seal kill, its almost entirely pure white plumage making it nearly invisible against the Arctic ice it rarely strays far from.
Overview
The ivory gull, Pagophila eburnea, is an almost entirely pure white seabird native to polar and ocean habitat across the high Arctic region. Its striking all-white plumage broken only by black legs, close association with polar bears and pack ice for scavenging, and status as one of the most northerly breeding birds in the world make it one of the most visually distinctive and habitat-specialised gulls found anywhere on Earth.
A life bound entirely to the ice
Few birds depend on a single habitat feature as completely as the ivory gull depends on Arctic pack ice, using it for feeding, scavenging, and moving across a landscape that is shrinking as the climate warms.
Status
Near Threatened, having declined significantly due to the loss of Arctic sea ice linked to a warming climate.
Ivory Gull: common questions
Why is the ivory gull almost entirely white?
This species has almost entirely pure white plumage, broken only by black legs and a dark eye, an appearance that provides excellent camouflage against the Arctic pack ice it depends on for nearly its entire life.
Does the ivory gull hunt or scavenge?
Both, though scavenging is especially notable, as this species frequently follows polar bears across the pack ice to feed on the remains of seal kills left behind once the bear has eaten its fill.
Why is the ivory gull declining?
This species has declined significantly due to the loss of Arctic sea ice linked to a warming climate, a habitat it depends on for feeding, finding carrion, and moving across its high Arctic range.
Where does the ivory gull breed?
This species is one of the most northerly breeding birds in the world, nesting on cliffs and remote ice-bound islands deep within the high Arctic, rarely venturing far from pack ice at any point in its life.