A small, well-proportioned duck that nests in trees. It is pale brown overall with a darker brown crown and nape, and has warmer chestnut-colored underparts and chestnut-fringed feathers on its back. It features a faint orange-yellow eye-ring and has a dark gray bill and legs. Males and females look alike, but juveniles are duller in color. This gregarious duck is often found in shallow, vegetated water bodies. In flight, it has rapid wingbeats and broad dark wings, with chestnut-colored shoulders and rump that flash visibly. Its call is a wheezy, whistling “seasick-seasick.”