This species occurs in brackish and freshwater habitats with dense vegetation cover, like swamps, reed beds and lake borders, but it may also be found in small temporary wetlands (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). The species is mainly crepuscular and forages in the early-morning and late-evening (del Hoyo et al. 1996). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere the diet consists predominantly of plant matter including shoots, leaves, roots, stems, flowers and seeds (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Taylor and van Perlo 1998). It also takes animal matter including molluscs, leeches, small crustaceans, adult and larval insects, earthworms, spiders, fish and fish eggs, frogs and frog spawn, lizards, water snakes Natrix maura, adult birds, bird eggs and nestlings, small rodents and carrion (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Taylor and van Perlo 1998). Its breeding biology is not well studied; the timing of breeding is unknown and seems to be erratic, as chicks have been recorded in Dubai in October and April (Jennings 2010). No nest has been described from the UAE. Elsewhere, it breeds in solitary territorial pairs or in small communal groups containing several breeding males, breeding females and non-breeding helpers and the nest it is a shallow cup in a large substantial structure of vegetation built on a platform of vegetation floating on or standing in shallow water 30-120 cm deep and concealed in thick vegetation (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Taylor and van Perlo 1998).