An Australian stilt that gathers at salt lakes filled by rain. In breeding plumage, a chestnut band stands out across the breast.
Adults have long legs and a slender bill. A chestnut breast band appears in breeding plumage and fades after the breeding season.
It moves to shallow inland salt lakes after rain, feeding on crustaceans, molluscs and small insects. It shifts between inland waters and the coast as water conditions change.
When rain or flooding creates inland wetlands, it makes a shallow ground nest, often on a small lake island. It lays 1–5 eggs, usually 3–4, with incubation lasting about 20 days.
It feeds mainly by day, wading in shallow water or swimming away from shore. Besides small animals, it eats vegetation, seeds and roots.
The sexes look similar, with a slender, straight black bill. Immatures lack chestnut or black on the underparts, and have brown wings and dull pink legs.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.