Retiring, small swimming bird of tropical lowlands. It’s not a grebe and it doesn’t like the sun; instead it favors slow-moving shady streams, mangroves, quiet ponds, and lake edges. Swims with a slight head-jerking motion and flies off low over the water when disturbed or climbs up into low branches and tangles; does not dive. The striped head and neck and stout pointed bill are distinctive. The cheeks are white on the male and orangish on the female.