A medium-sized Arctic-breeding gull whose adult wingtips vary from pale to dark among regional forms.
Adults have a pale gray back and wings, a relatively slender bill, and pink legs. Wingtip color varies among regional forms; winter plumage may show brown streaking on the head and neck.
It often picks fish and other food from the water while flying low. In winter, some remain in Arctic waters among pack ice, while others move south to coasts or the Great Lakes.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.