A bird with a black head and breast, red bill, and red skin in front of the eyes. It is often found in pairs or small groups in grasslands and marshes.
Adults have a black head and upper breast, brown upperparts, a white belly, a red bill with a black tip, and red facial skin. Juveniles have a grayer-brown head and breast and a pale throat.
It commonly lives in grasslands, marshes, wastelands, and near water, usually in pairs or small groups.
At Haridwar and Dehradun in northern India, both parents were observed making shallow nests lined with pebbles, and females laid clutches of 3–4 eggs. Both parents incubated and cared for the chicks after hatching.
Both sexes give loud territorial calls, including at night. When a predator approaches the nest or chicks, both parents give strong alarm calls.
A white patch lies behind the cheek and along the side of the neck. In flight a white bar separates the brown upperwing-coverts from the black flight feathers.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.