This rich caramel-colored duck has a long neck and legs, with blue-gray legs and bill and white stripes on the sides. It is easily distinguished from the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck in flight because the Fulvous Whistling-Duck has all-dark wings. It is commonly found in flocks in marshes, marshy ponds, and flooded rice fields, and is active both day and night. It frequently makes whistled calls, with males producing a wheezier sound and females a more nasal, squeaky tone.