Sexes alike. White plumage; naked black head; long, curved black bill; blood-red patches seen on underwing and flanks in flight. Breeding: long plumes over neck; some slaty-grey in wings. Young: head and neck feathered; only face and patch around eye naked. Gregarious; feeds with storks, spoonbills, egrets and other ibises; moves actively in water, the long, curved bill held partly open and head partly submerged as the bird probes the nutrient-rich mud.