Its long, downcurved bill and bare black head are distinctive. It forages in wetlands and floodplains, probing shallow water, mud and grassland.
The body is white, while most of the head and neck are bare. Adults have a tuft of cream plumes at the base of the neck.
It walks through wetlands, floodplains and grassland, probing with its bill for aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates and other food.
Crayfish and mussels dug out with the long bill are favoured foods. It hammers mussels against hard surfaces to expose the soft body inside.
A male calls and bows from a high branch, offering a twig to a female. After she accepts it, the pair preens each other and moves elsewhere to nest. Large nesting colonies may also include Straw-necked Ibises.
Young birds have black feathers covering the neck. A small patch of bare underwing skin changes from dull pink to dark scarlet during breeding.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.