Sexes alike. White plumage; blackish-green and white wings; blackish-green breast-band and black tail; rich rosy-pink wash on greater wing-coverts; large, slightly curved orangish-yellow bill. Young: pale dirty brown, the neck feathers edged darker; lacks breast-band. Common and gregarious; feeds with beak partly submerged, ready to grab prey; when not feeding, settles hunched up outside water; regularly soars high on thermals.