It belongs to the Laridae family of Lariformes order, with the scientific name of Larus relictus (Latin), or Little Gull (English)      

It is a medium-size waterfowl with a full length of about 44 centimeters. It has gray upper body, black head and upper neck, and white neck, waist and tail. Both above and under the eyes is a semicircle white spot. Its primary remiges are mainly white with black spots, and the sublevel remiges are silvery gray. The lower part is pure white. Its beak and feet are wine.

It inhabits in vast water areas, mainly feeding on fish, aquicolous invertebrates and grass-blades. Its nests are built of dry float grass on sand islands, often mixed with the nests of terns, chirp gulls and huge gulls. It lays eggs in the middle and last ten days of May, with 2 to 3 eggs per brood. The eggs are grayish green, with black spots and distinct color distortion. The incubation period lasts 24 to 26 days, and squabs can fly in about 40 days.

Little Gull is one of the world's endangered species and has been listed in Appendix I of International Trade Convention on Endangered Wild Animal and Plant Species, mainly living in Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi and Gansu provinces, and Beijing. In recent years, a comparatively stable breeding population was found in Erdos of Inner Mongolia, which is one of the largest known groups worldwide and should be under strict protection.