White in color, with gray wings and a black head, what is most striking is its yellow caruncle. There are no big differences between males and females. Juveniles have duller colors and the caruncle is smaller.

To feed, they forage short grass, kick sand or mud so that small invertebrates come to the surface. They feed mainly at night.
If the pond next to their nest dries up, they move to a closer one. They are monogamous birds, and loyal to their breeding place. They build the nest in depressions in the ground, on low grass or near water; and sometimes they use small branches or stones to delimit it. The chicks are born with brown plumage, small grayish or brown specks, so when they are crouched on the ground, they can be confused with a stone. If a predator approaches the nest, one of the adults emits loud squawks to keep it away from the eggs.