A large bustard that walks across dry plains while foraging. The male has dark coloring on the neck and breast, and some birds move in response to rain.
The male has a dark head and fore-neck, a reddish-brown hindneck, and a white belly. The female is smaller and paler.
It walks slowly to pick up food and may run after large insects. Some birds move in response to rainfall.
It lays 1–2 eggs on bare ground or in a shallow scrape, often among stones, without constructing a nest. The female performs all incubation and chick care.
It eats locusts, beetles, ants, termites, spiders, scorpions, rodents, and reptiles, as well as seeds, berries, leaves, and bulbs.
In flight the inner primary feathers are white, while the smaller wing coverts show relatively little white.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.