A delicate, rare, two-year gull. Alternate Adult has fine black collar around upper neck, pale gray upperparts, white underparts with slight pink wash, red legs, and tiny black bill. In flight, note darker gray underwings and wedge-shaped tail. Basic Adult has small black spot behind eye and lacks rosy wash; wingtips are pale gray. First-cycle birds have blackish wingtips and wing coverts. In flight, these form a bold M-shaped pattern on wings. Juvenile is heavily marked with dark brown pattern on upperparts.

Length: 34 (cm) Wingspan: 84 (cm)

Habitat:

Breeds on tundra. Winters in arctic pack ice or coastal areas.

Behavior:

Sometimes flocks with Bonaparte's Gulls. Nest is a lined ground depression among swampy tundra.

Feeding:

Often forages on ground; eats a variety of insects, other invertebrates, and small aquatic organisms.