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Sooty Gulls are medium-sized black-headed gulls. They take 2 years to reach maturity, so there are 3 phases of their plumage. In addition, the adult plumage changes slightly between non-breeding season and breeding season. Breeding adults have a black head, neck and frontal "bib", fringed by a white band across the nape of the neck. They have a small white arch above each eye. The breast and mantle are grey, while the upperwings are dark-grey, with a white trailing edge. The rest of the front, from belly to undertail coverts, is white. Also the tail is white. In eclipse the head, neck and bib are more brownish, leading to a lower overall colour contrast, in particular with the white neck band. The irises are dark. Adults have a greenish bill, with a black tip with a red peak. The legs and fully webbed feet are pale yellowish-grey. Immature second-year Sooty Gulls, are similar to non-breeding adults, but with less colour contrast between head and (as yet not fully developed) neck band. The bill is greenish with a black tip. First-year Sooty Gulls have bold pale fringes on their upperwing coverts, giving them a scalloped appearance, and a brownish-grey head, neck and breast. They also have a dark terminal band on the tail.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Sooty Gull is available HERE .

Sooty Gulls are a partly migratory or vagrant species. Their breeding range extends from the eastern African coastline, around the Red Sea, the Arabian peninsula, the Persian Gulf and along the southern Asian coastline eastwards as far as Pakistan. Outside the breeding season most populations move preferably southwards, except the Red Sea population, which appears to be sedentary.

In Arabia Sooty Gulls are widespread and common along the entire coastline. Their core breeding area is around the Red Sea, i.e. on the western side of the Arabian peninsula.

Sooty Gulls are a strictly coastal species. They are never found far out at sea and nowhere inland either. They hunt in coastal waters. Apart from natural coastal habitats it also enters ports and harbours, in proximity to humans.

Sooty Gulls were first spotted by us on the north-eastern coastline of Oman, in the area from Quriyyat to Ras Al-Hadd, in May 2010.

In the same month they were also seen along the coastline to the West of Muscat (Al-Batinah region).