Page 40 - An-introduction-to-Svalbard

The ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea) is a beauty that never leaves the Arctic Ocean, not even
during the dark season. It is a true survival expert eating everything from eggs, chicks and
leftovers from polar bear feeds to seals’ faeces and krill in the sea. Its entirely white plumage
makes it easily recognizable. The population in Svalbard is only about 2,000 pairs, and it is
an endangered species throughout its almost circumpolar distribution area.

The glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus) is a large and powerful gull which nests in scattered
colonies near the large bird cliffs. Several thousands of pairs nest on Svalbard. The glaucous
gull eats all kinds of eggs and chicks and find many other things edible. It leaves Svalbard
in September-October and returns in March or April. Winters are spent in the North Atlantic
along the coasts of Norway, Iceland and Great Britain.

In addition to the three most common gulls, we may encounter the rare Sabine’s gull (Larus
sabini) and even the more rarely seen Ross’s gull (Rhodostethia rosea). A small population of
the great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) also nests on the islands.

The Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) holds the World record of long flights! Some Arctic terns
annually migrate from the Arctic to Antarctica. On Svalbard close to 10,000 pairs are nesting,
mainly in colonies along the western and northern coast.

Upper: Ivory gull. Lower: Glaucous gull. Above: Arctic tern.
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