Relict Gull

The relict gull is a medium-sized gull, 44–45 centimetres long and stocky, with a thick body. Breeding birds have black hoods including the nape, with grey-brown foreheads and broad, white, half-moon markings behind, below and above the eyes, with orange legs and scarlet bills. Non-breeding adults have uniformly dark-smudged ear-coverts and hind crown, white-tipped wings with prominent, isolated black subterminal marks on the outer primaries, and no white leading edge to the outer wing. (Wikipedia, general species account)

The gull breeds in several places in Mongolia, including Galuut Lake, Khukh Lake and Chukh Lake, in two in Kazakhstan, one in Russia and one in China at Lake Hongjiannao. It breeds from early June to early August in colonies on islands in saltwater lakes, and does not nest when lakes dry up or when water levels are too high. Small numbers appear to migrate to South Korea in the non-breeding period. It was believed to be an eastern race of the Mediterranean gull until 1971. (Wikipedia, general species account)