A partridge-sized water bird related to the Moorhen. Its back is brown, mottled with black with metallic dark blue underparts. It has a long red bill and its legs are long with slender toes adapted for moving in aquatic vegetation. It occurs in wetlands with abundant vegetation, as well as rice fields, ditches and drains filled with marsh plants. They feed on aquatic invertebrates, amphibians and small mammals. They are resident throughout the year.