A rail of eastern South America, it lives in freshwater marshes and flooded grassland. White spots mark its back, and it forages for plant material and seeds among dense vegetation.
The upperparts are dark brown, with white spots along the centers of the feathers. The chin is white, the throat and chest are streaked white, and the belly and undertail are barred.
It is recorded in freshwater marshes, grassy savannas, flooded rice fields, and wet grassland. It is terrestrial and eats plant material and seeds.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.