Head to head
Ivory Gull vs Black-legged Kittiwake
The ivory gull and black-legged kittiwake are both gulls of cold northern waters facing genuine conservation concern, though for related but distinct reasons.
| Ivory Gull | Black-legged Kittiwake | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Pagophila eburnea | Rissa tridactyla |
| Plumage | Almost entirely pure white | Pale grey, black wingtips |
| Key habitat dependency | Arctic pack ice | Open ocean, narrow cliff ledges |
| Main threat | Loss of Arctic sea ice | Shifting fish availability |
| Feeding style | Scavenges carrion, hunts fish | Hunts fish and invertebrates |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened | Vulnerable |
| Population trend | Decreasing | Decreasing |
| Habitat | Polar, ocean | Ocean, coastal |
Ivory Gull vs Black-legged Kittiwake: common questions
Why are both the ivory gull and black-legged kittiwake declining?
Both species are declining due to changes in their marine environment: the ivory gull from the loss of Arctic sea ice it depends on for feeding and scavenging, and the black-legged kittiwake from shifts in fish availability linked to changing ocean conditions.
How does the ivory gull find food compared to the black-legged kittiwake?
The ivory gull often scavenges, following polar bears across pack ice to feed on leftover seal kills, while the black-legged kittiwake hunts fish and small invertebrates directly from the ocean surface, rarely scavenging on land the way many other gulls do.
Which species is more threatened, the ivory gull or the black-legged kittiwake?
The black-legged kittiwake is classified as Vulnerable, a step more severe than the Near Threatened ivory gull, though both face real and ongoing conservation concern linked to a changing Arctic and sub-Arctic environment.