An adult in breeding plumage has a black hood and white crescents around the eyes, but the irises are dark brown. This gull is endemic to the Red Sea.
An adult in breeding plumage has a full black hood and white crescents above and below the eye. The iris is dark brown and the orbital ring red.
It mainly eats fish, with coastal crustaceans and molluscs also in its diet. It follows fishing and leisure boats and searches along shores and tide lines.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.