This distinctive dark waterbird looks like a blend of a duck and a chicken. Adults have a bright red bill with a yellow tip, whereas immatures have a duller bill and legs. Look for the large white oval patches under the tail and white streaks along the flanks. It lives in fresh and brackish marshes, ponds, lakes, and slow-moving watercourses with surrounding vegetation. Smaller and more elusive than a coot, it is rarely seen far from the cover of vegetation and swims with a jerky motion. It walks with a stealthy gait, often holding its tail slightly cocked, and does not typically dive. Its calls are varied and somewhat frog-like.