Arctic flora and fauna surprise with its unique character. Here you can meet amazing animals and birds, which are not afraid of the kingdom of snow and ice. The most northern and freeze proof Arctic bird is a white seagull.
It is a rare species of birds, which representatives can be found only in the high latitude of Arctic: on Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya and the Kara Sea islands. White seagulls do not inhabit Antarctica and are the only northern birds. These species are included in the Red Lists of Russia and the world.
The name of the white seagull was derived because of external appearance, which serves as an excellent camouflage on the white snow. In the snow-covered Arctic, gulls may give out only beautiful blue-yellow beak and black legs. However the young gulls have difficulties to hide in the snow, their white plumage is covered with black dots up to two years.
White seagulls break the "immigration laws". It is the only kind of arctic birds which do not fly away to the south, when winter begins. They remain within the Arctic Ocean all year round. White gulls are nomads, but they move only within the Arctic islands. In spring gulls unite together to prepare for the summer breeding period. Gulls equip their nests on the steep coastal cliffs islands of the Arctic Ocean. Birds fill the small holes with moss, sea weed and lichens. Another popular housing for the period of reproduction is hollows in the ice. Such ice nests are protected fr om predators such as arctic fox.
White seagulls often appear near places of human habitation and hunting of marine animals, wh ere it is easier to find food.
