Its breeding plumage is glossy black, and it inhabits wetlands from the Indian subcontinent east to Java. It dives to catch fish.
In breeding plumage it has glossy black feathers and a short crest. Non-breeding adults and juveniles are brownish.
At Kerala’s Kallampara River, birds were observed feeding alone in shallow water and repeating short bouts of dives.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.