Non-breeding adults feature uniformly dark-smudged ear-coverts and hind crown, white-tipped wings, prominent, isolated black subterminal markings on outer primaries, and no white leading edge to outer wing.

Breeding birds have black hoods (including napes) with grey-brown foreheads, and broad, white, half-moon colouring behind, below, and above their eyes.

Its greatest threats are changes of water level in the breeding lakes, predation from other gulls, hailstorms and flooding.

They are also experiencing trouble migrating to breeding grounds due to the lack of useable stopover locations.

[6] In order to combat this, nature reserves in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Russia have been established, for example in the Mongol Daguur region.