The Masked Duck rests and dives in wetlands with dense vegetation. A breeding male has a black face and reddish body, while females and nonbreeding males show strong dark stripes on the face.
The breeding male has a reddish body, a black face, a flat bill, and stiff pointed tail feathers. The buffy face of the female and nonbreeding male has two strong dark stripes.
It dives and swims underwater, propelling itself with its feet. It is thought to eat mostly seeds and roots of aquatic or waterside plants, plus some aquatic insects and crustaceans, but its diet is not well known.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.