Its grey head and breast, brown back and large white flank spots make it distinctive. It lives in ponds and marshes across much of South America and picks food from floating vegetation while swimming; the specific foods are not known from the source.
Adults have a black face, grey head, neck and breast, a brown back, and large white flank spots. The undertail is white, and the bill and frontal shield are greenish yellow.
It picks food from floating vegetation while swimming. The source says the specific foods it eats are not known.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.