About the Ivory Gull
The ivory gull is a small gull, the only species in the genus Pagophila. It is a resident breeding bird in the high Arctic and has a circumpolar distribution through Greenland, northernmost North America, and Eurasia.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The ivory gull is 40–43 cm (16–17 in) long, with a wingspan of 108–120 cm (43–47 in); males weigh between 500–687 g (17.6–24.2 oz) and females between 448–583 g (15.8–20.6 oz). This species is easy to identify. It has a different, more pigeon-like shape compared to the Larus gulls, an impression reinforced by its short legs. The adult has completely pure white plumage, lacking the grey back of other gulls. The thick bill is blue with a yellow tip (occasionally with a reddish tip), and the legs are black. The eyes are dark, with a narrow dark red orbital ring.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where the Ivory Gull lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in France, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, St. Pierre & Miquelon.
When to see the Ivory Gull
Peak activity in January · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Ross's GullRhodostethia roseaThis small bird is similar in size and some plumage characteristics to the little gull.
Antarctic TernSterna vittataThe Antarctic tern is a medium-sized tern ranging from 35 to 40 cm (14 to 16 in) in length with a wingspan of 74 to 79 cm (29 to 31 in).
White-eyed GullIchthyaetus leucophthalmusThe white-eyed gull is a small gull that is endemic to the Red Sea.
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