A small brown diving bird common across much of North America. It often hides among wetland plants and dives for food.
It has a small, chunky body and a short, thick bill. The bill has a black band in breeding season and is yellow-brown without the band outside that season.
It dives for small fish and aquatic invertebrates and builds a floating nest from plants. Chicks ride on a parent’s back soon after hatching.
In North America, both sexes build a floating plant nest. The clutch contains 2–10 eggs, with incubation lasting about 23–27 days.
In North America, it may avoid danger by quietly sinking until only the eyes and nostrils remain above water.
In North America, adults develop a black throat in spring and summer, and the breeding bill is whitish with a black band. Juveniles have striped faces.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.