Characterization: Large species measuring about 95cm in length. This bird has white plumage, a black tail and flight feathers, and its head, neck, and legs are bare. The male is smaller than the female, and young individuals have feathered heads and necks and a light-red curved beak.

Distribution: From the United States to Argentina and Brazil.

Habitat: Swamps interrupted by forests.

Habits: A diurnal and aquatic species adapted to freshwater. This bird is gregarious, and the immature birds associate, living separate from the couples.

Diet: Carnivorous, feeding on insects, crabs, snails, frogs, and fish.

Breeding: It lays its eggs in nests built in flooded copses. There is no breeding in dry seasons, when food is scarce.

In the UFRA area: In the surveys conducted at the São Francisco Sugarmill farms, this species of bird is infrequent. They were seen only five times. They were spotted in three different environments, in wetlands with riparian forests, in drainage ditches, and in woods and spontaneous regeneration. Medium spatial distribution. It is an endangered species, ranked in the vulnerable category.