The adult male has a brown head with a distinctive black area surrounding the beak and a yellow ring of bare skin around the eye.

The cheeks, sides of neck and upper breast are ochreous to pinkish buff, fading to white on the chin and throat.

Its habitat is dry open areas of mainly level ground with grasses and sparse vegetation, and includes the spiny forests of the southeastern part of the island.

It has good hearing and sight and is easily alarmed, making human observations on foot difficult.

It communicates with the other birds using a low, rapid, hoarse "ag-ag-ag-ag", or a similar single note repeated every couple of seconds.

[2] In the early morning or late afternoon it tends to congregate at watering locations, although it may also drink at other times of day.

It is sometimes decorated with a ring of leaves round the edge, apparently gathered from elsewhere and brought to the nest site.