A visually striking waterbird that inhabits lakes and ponds with abundant floating vegetation. Breeding adults with long tails are particularly eye-catching, featuring a large white wing patch and a head that stands out against their black body and bright yellow neck patch. In winter, adults and juveniles have a shorter tail, a brown back, white underparts, and a less vivid version of the breeding adults’ head pattern. Their vocalizations include a range of nasal clucking and purring calls, and their rarely heard song is a repeated, ringing “ku-woo.”