This species inhabits a variety of freshwater, marine and artificial wetlands, including coastal shores and mudflats, inland wetlands and pond edges, as well as water treatment plants and sewage outlets (Richardson 1990, el Hoyo et al. 1996, Aspinall and Porter 2011). During migration, the species occurs on inland flooded meadows, dried-up lakes, sandbars and marshes (del Hoyo et al. 1996). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere it is chiefly carnivorous, its diet consisting of insects and their larvae, crustaceans, annelids, molluscs, amphibians, small fish and occasionally rodents (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Hockey et al. 2005). It feeds singly, both diurnally and nocturnally (Richardson 1990, del Hoyo et al. 1996). The species is migratory. It breeds between late April and June in dispersed pairs in swampy boreal forests throughout Eurasia (Johnsgard 1981, del Hoyo et al. 1996, Snow and Perrins 1998). On passage, it can occur singly or in small flocks, although congregations of 100 or more may very rarely occur at high tide or at roosting sites (Urban et al. 1986, Richardson 1990, Snow and Perrins 1998). Some non-breeding birds may remain in the wintering grounds throughout the summer (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Snow and Perrins 1998, Pedersen et al. 2017).