Adult Spot-billed Ducks are 55-66 centimeters tall and typically have a yellow-tipped black bill, a pale head with a blackish crown and eyestripe.

They have a brown-spotted breast and flanks, and their wings are brown demarcated with white and dark green, whilst the underwings are mostly white. Their legs are orange.

This species is also known as the Spotbill and the Indian Spot-billed Duck.