Gulls (Laridae)

Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea) - HBW 3, p. 620

French: Mouette blanche German: Elfenbeinmöwe Spanish: Gaviota Marfileña

Taxonomy: Larus Eburneus Phipps, 1774, Spitsbergen.
Osteologically quite distinct from Larus; considered by some intermediate with the skuas (Stercorariidae). Morphometric analysis shows no consistent link with any other species. Has very different display repertoire. Strong rationale for retaining Pagophila, though species sometimes placed in Larus. Monotypic.

Distribution: Almost circumpolar in Arctic seas and pack ice, breeding from N Canada (Queen Elizabeth Is, N Baffin I) through Greenland, Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya and Severnaya Zemlya to Herald I (New Siberian Is).