This species occurs in almost any kind of habitat during migration. It is most often found in dry, open country with scattered trees (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). The species passes through the UAE in March to May on the way northward to the breeding grounds, and again in September when it travels southward to the wintering grounds in Africa. It forms small flocks of ten to twenty individuals during migration (Jennings 2010). The breeding sites in Ras al-Khaimah were located in arid environment near the coast, on cultivated land with good access of water to guarantee high food availability (Jennings 2010).The species feeds entirely on winged insects (cicadas, dragonflies, grasshoppers, mantises, butterflies, flying ants, bees, wasps, bugs and beetles), which are chased and caught during flight (Jennings 2010). It nests in loose colonies (Fry and Kirwan 2012), often in close association with the European Bee-eater Merops apiaster, which also used to breed in Ras al-Khaimah (Jennings 2010). After arrival on the breeding site in late March/early April, new nests holes are excavated or old ones restored, before eggs are laid from the end of April. Juveniles hatch in May and fledge in June/July (Jennings 2010). Nest holes are preferably dug at a low angle in flat, sandy ground with scattered bushes or in vertical walls, like wells and banks (Jennings 2010). The nest is a tunnel up to three metres long ending in an enlarged chamber (Snow and Perrins 1998, Jennings 2010). There is no information available on the clutch size in the UAE, but elsewhere clutches contain four to eight eggs (Jennings 2010).