It is a large, compact and deep-breasted bird.
Its long, straight, orange-red beak and black-and-white fur make a striking combination.
The wide and white wing-bar is quite evident in flight.
The flight is carried out with rapid wing flaps, somewhat reminiscent of a duck.
Adult summer form: Its eye ring is orange-red, eye is dark red, males are shorter than females on average but they have thicker beak.
The beak base of males is usually brighter red.
Despite these small differences, it is generally not possible to determine the sex of a bird seen alone.
Its feet are pink.
Adult winter form: They are similar to summer adults. However, the white belt under the chin is clearly visible in winter, and it is not a bird that is very affected by the climate. However, it avoids snowy and icy areas where there are very cold temperatures.
It mostly lives on the margins of wetlands. The majority of the food consists of mussels and snails.
Sometimes it lives in inland areas far from wetlands.
In this case, the majority can also feed on soft worm-like invertebrates.
Although records of Turkey regarding the birds are in general the wetlands in the coastal region, records also show that they are observed in inland plains especially in Bulanık plain. There are records from all over Turkey except for the Southeast.
Records can be found throughout the year, especially from the Gediz Delta.
Records are mostly received in the summer months from inner regions such as Bulank Plain, Ankara, Konya, Kırşehir, Kars.
According to KUSBANK records, there are records for 12 months of the year up to this day.
This situation shows that the bird is seen in Turkey all the time and they breed in some areas.