The species is found in open areas in dry, rocky habitats with sparse low scrubby and herbaceous vegetation (Jennings 2010), like hillsides, wadis and stony desert (Aspinall and Porter 2011). While it avoids damp, densely vegetated areas, regular access to pools and waterholes are of importance (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011); a peculiarity of this species is its habit of pecking at car mirrors in the desert, possibly because the reflections are mistaken for water bodies (Jennings 2010). It mostly feeds on small seeds, which it takes on the ground or in low vegetation (Jennings 2010, Clement 2016). Outside the breeding season, it forms large flocks and forages across larger distances in desert plains (Jennings 2010). The breeding season lasts from February to June. The species is monogamous; the male aggressively defends the female (Jennings 2010). While no nest has been described yet from the UAE, elsewhere it is made of grass or twigs and is set in a shallow depression in the ground, under a rock, shrub or grass tussock (Jennings 2010). Clutches usually consist of four to six eggs.