These small seabirds are the only gulls with completely white feathers.  They can be distinguished from other white-winged gulls by their black feet and bill. Young birds have black faces and chins with black spots on their wings and tail.

Canada's breeding population of Ivory Gulls is estimated at 500-700 birds and believed to be in decline.  The majority of Ivory Gulls breed outside of North America.  The size of the NWT population is not known.

Distribution

lvory Gulls are arctic birds that range across Northern Canada, Greenland, and Arctic Western Europe. They are found throughout the Canadian Arctic and have also been seen on the pack ice off the Maritimes.  Their entire breeding range is not well known. All nesting sites used prior to 1970s have been abandoned.  Surveys done in 2002-2005 found Ivory Gulls nesting around Jones and Lancaster Sounds in Nunavut.  Researchers believe this is because Ivory Gulls are not attached to specific breeding grounds.  Ivory Gulls used to breed on northern Prince Patrick Island in the NWT, however current breeding grounds in the NWT are not known.

NOTE: Click on map for full view. Distributions are approximate and not intended for legal use. (JPG = 1995 KB)

In summer, Ivory Gulls are found in the High Arctic.  The birds nest on granite, limestone, or gravel, many in “nunataks”, steep cliffs of mountains protruding from glaciers.  Nesting colonies are usually only 100-200 km from a source of food - marine waters open early in May or early June.  In other seasons, Ivory Gulls are found along the edge of the pack ice.

Biology

Ivory Gulls can live from to 20 years.  They become sexually mature when they turn pure white or during their second year.  They often arrive at their breeding grounds before the snow melts, but they don’t build a nest until the ground is sufficiently thawed.  Exact timing is determined by the weather.  Ivory Gulls nest on either flat ground or cliffs.  Both sexes help build a nest of mosses, lichens, and grasses.  The female lays one to three buff-coloured, spotted eggs.  Both parents incubate the eggs, which hatch after 25 days. The chicks fledge after 11 days and begin feeding themselves after just 3 weeks.  Ivory Gulls are scavengers, feeding on the carcasses of dead fish and marine mammals.

Predators and weather are the two main factors limiting Ivory Gull populations.  Both polar bears and arctic foxes feed on eggs and chicks.  Predators can kill all the young in a colony.  Bad weather can significantly decrease the number of young successfully raised.  Human disturbances can also be destructive.  Gulls cannot tolerate disturbances during certain periods of the breeding season.  For example, they will abandon eggs if approached by low-flying aircraft.  The threat of an oil spill in the Arctic is also a concern.  An oil spill in the Ivory Gull's wintering area could be disastrous to the local population.

Ivory Gulls are protected in North America under the Migratory Bird Convention Act of 1917. COSEWIC designated the Ivory Gull as Vulnerable in 1996 because of the lack of breeding colonies and potential threats from human disturbances. The species was re-assessed as Endangered in 2006, due to a noted decline in breeding birds in northern Canada. Ivory Gulls are protected from hunting in the NWT.

Recovery

Consultation is underway to legally list Ivory Gull as Endangered under the federal Species At Risk Act.  In the NWT, sightings are recorded and research into possible breeding ground locations continues.

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       Site last updated Tuesday, November 04, 2008