One of the trio of Arctic breeders, my own personal favourites. After breeding it disperses within the drift ice,
feeding largely on leftovers from Polar Bear kills, and waste from Cetaceans. More or less annual in Britain,
mainly in the North, it may follow cetacean movements since many birds settle on beached carcasses for long periods,
and there are records from the West coast (maybe following cetaceans
on a southerly migration in the Atlantic). Sadly climate change seems to be making Arctic Gulls scarce in the UK, these
were taken at Southwold (1999), North Wales (2001) and Saltburn (1987).
Click on the photo to return to "gulls" or
HOMEPAGE
IVORY GULL
Pagophila eburnea
