Ivory Gull in Georgia, US Photo Gallery by lejun at pbase.com

Ivory Gull in Georgia, US

Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea)

Along with several other birders, I observed this bird, the Ivory Gull, (Pagophila eburnea) at the West Point Lake Dam near the town of West Point, GA on 1/28/10.
We observed this bird for a period of about 2.5 hours. It is extremely unusual to see this species so far south.
This is perhaps the Southern most identification of this species.
As reported by Sibley, this bird is a distinctive Arctic species found around pack ice in the high arctic.
The bird only rarely comes south of the Bering Sea or the Maritime Provinces.
In its range, the number of ivory gulls has fallen rapidly over the years.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies this species as "near threatened".

Earthjustice reports that as climate change consistently melts Arctic sea ice, Ivory Gull colonies will be more and more exposed to predators.
The bird's fate is probably entwined with that of the polar bear and and other Arctic species trying to adapt to climate change.

Ivory Gull Video
Ivory Gull Observation Site

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