Length of the body: 33–36 cm. Wingspan: 70 cm.
It has long and red legs. Wings are black on the topside and on the lower side. The throat, breasts, belly, tail, waist and part of the back are white. Male birds have black spot on their heads and the neck; female birds are almost entirely white.
Feeds with insects and other invertebrates. Lives predominantly in salt lakes and salterns. Nests on the ground.
In Bulgaria lives in the wetlands on the Black Sea coast, mainly in Atanasovsko lake and Pomorie lake, Thracian valley, wetlands along the Danube River.
Winters in Africa.
Threats: drainage and degradation of the wetlands, construction on salt coastal water bodies and salterns, disturbance during the breeding period, destruction of the eggs and hatchlings by the stray dogs.
Conservation status in Bulgaria: Threatened.
It breeds in the Yatata SPA and is expected to react positively to the creation of the island and be present among the breeders. The island could increase the national population by some 10–30 pairs.
