General

Ivory Gull: A pure white gull whose entire life is restricted to the edge of the floating pack ice. Legs dark, bill dusky with yellow tip. Sexes similar. Juvenile is lightly to heavily spotted dark brown on white background, face dark brown.

Range and Habitat

Ivory Gull: Nearly always associated with drifting pack ice in the very northern reaches of the arctic. Circumpolar and found in Siberia, Canada, Greenland, and other high artic land masses. Breeds on the coasts of Greenland and surrounding islands. Pelagic, wintering on the open Arctic Ocean from Alaska and Newfoundland and Labrador north.

Breeding and Nesting

Ivory Gull: Nests in colonies on open ground or on cliff ledges. Both sexes bring a wide variety of materials to form a simple nest in which one to three yellow brown eggs marked with dark olive, brown or black, are laid. Both sexes incubate eggs for 24 to 26 days, chicks fledge at 30 to 35 days old.

Foraging and Feeding

Ivory Gull: Uses a wide variety of hunting techniques for catching invertebrates or small fish. Hovers over open water, plunge dives, swims on the surface, or walks along beaches. Often hunts at night.

Vocalization

Ivory Gull: Harsh descending "keear."

Similar Species

Ivory Gull: Unlikely to be confused with any other species in its range.