The young have a woolly coat. The neck is thin, and the legs are long and slender. Horns, carried only by the males, are large at the base, prominently ringed, and usually 200-400 mm in length. They point backward, diverge in a graceful upward curve, and curve sharply forward at the tip. There is a conspicuous bare glandular patch below each ear.
Females have four mammae.
Reedbucks frequent rolling grasslands, mountain plateaus, open forests, and reedbeds. They usually live near water but do not enter it freely. They are perhaps the least wary of riverside antelope, and once set to flight, they seldom go far before stopping to glance back. If suddenly alarmed, they crouch close to the ground. When fleeing, they hold the tail upright, exposing the white undersurface.