43-55 cm, marked dimorphism, with the male more colourful while the female is dark with pale-yellow head and shoulders. Present throughout the year, it nests in the Phragmites australis reeds even if small, and in the valli da pesca (fishing reserves). After a recent decline, currently about 20 pairs nest along the low coast between the Timavo and Tagliamento. In searching for food, it ranges across a wide variety of habitats, from tidal flats to farmland. Sometimes numerous times during the spring migration, it forms social roosting sites in traditional locations.