Ivory Gull

The Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea) is a small gull, the only species in the genus Pagophila. It breeds in the high Arctic and has a circumpolar distribution through Greenland, northernmost North America, and Eurasia. It takes fish and crustaceans, rodents, eggs, and small chicks but is also an opportunist scavenger, often found on seal or porpoise corpses. It has been known to follow polar bears and other predators to feed on the remains of their kills.

It is simple to recognize this species. Comparable in size to Larus gulls at 43 centimeters, it has a distinct, more pigeon-like shape, but the adult lacks the grey back of other gulls and has entirely white plumage. The legs are black, and the large beak is blue with a yellow tip. During the breeding season, the bill has a red tip, and the eyes have a fleshy, brilliant red eye-ring. Its flight call cry is a harsh, tern-like keeeer.