A secretive wetland bird with a yellow bill and short tail. It breeds in North America and moves south for winter.
Adults are mottled brown and gray, with a thick yellow bill and black face markings. When the short tail is raised, white feathers show underneath.
It walks among plants in shallow wetlands, eating seeds and aquatic insects. It weaves a nest from plants above the water.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.