This is Bird Note.

Ross's gull has a reputation for beguiling birders.

They're very scarce, rarely stray south of the high Arctic, and they're beautiful.

Most birders would be happy to encounter one in their lifetime.

Ross's gulls have the gentle symmetry of a dove.

These dainty seabirds have a petite black bill and wedge-shaped tail,

though their bodies are mostly gray.

Their breast feathers and underparts glow a satiny pink,

thanks to pigments from the marine crustaceans they pluck from the ocean's surface.

Ross's gulls breed on the coast of Greenland and northern Siberia, where they feast on

flying insects hawked from tundra ponds. Nesting completed in August, many Ross's gulls rove

thousands of miles west to find food along the pack ice.

By October, they're on the move again.

The gulls vanish for months to parts unknown, only to reappear at nesting sites in spring.

Every so often, a Ross's gull drifts into southern Canada and the U.S.

Next time one does, rest assured, this Arctic wonder will draw an adoring crowd.

For Bird Note, I'm Michael Stein.