Ivory Gulls breed in some of the most remote reaches of the Canadian High Arctic. However, despite their remote and inaccessible range, their population has been intensively monitored. Ivory Gulls have decreased in abundance in Canada by 80% or more since about 1970. These large declines in an already small population led to a change in assessment from Special Concern to Endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC 2006h). The species faces a considerable risk of mortality from hunting in Greenland, and is also known to carry dangerously high levels of contaminants. Ivory Gulls are associated with sea ice at all times of year, so retreating ice cover may also be affecting current populations. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Banding studies revealed that Canada’s Ivory Gulls faced considerable mortality from hunting in Greenland, such that it may have contributed to population declines (Stenhouse et al. 2004, COSEWIC 2006h). The International Ivory Gull Conservation Strategy and action plan (Gilchrist et al. 2008) was developed in response to the population declines, and harvest in Greenland has since been curtailed. Ivory Gulls occupy a high trophic level and have the highest egg mercury concentrations recorded for any Arctic bird. These high concentrations may impair reproductive success (COSEWIC 2006h). Retrospective analyses found that methyl mercury concentrations for Ivory Gulls increased by a factor of 45 between 1880 and 2004, despite no change in the gulls’ diet, suggesting anthropogenic sources for the increased contaminant concentrations (Bond et al. 2015). For information on the legal status of this species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and to view available recovery documents, see the SARA Registry.
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.