This species breeds on arid, gravelly plains interspersed with sandy areas and scanty scrub vegetation, often away from water (Richardson 1990, Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). It avoids sand-sea desert and mountainous or rocky regions, and is only rarely seen at freshwater or saltwater margins (Jennings 2010). Outside of the breeding season, it is found on open plains in a wider variety of habitats, including short grassland, irrigated fields, cropland, cattle enclosures and rubbish sites, but also in the outskirts of towns, in parks and gardens, as well as on golf courses (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). It forages on the ground or in low vegetation, occasionally digging with its bill for food items (Jennings 2010). Its diet includes invertebrates like grasshoppers, spiders, beetles, cockroaches, bugs, termites, maggots and caterpillars, but also seeds and vegetable matter (Jennings 2010). Even though it is occasionally observed drinking at pools or dripping pipes, it likely obtains most of its liquids from food. During the hottest part of the day, the species retreats to shady spots (Jennings 2010). Breeding pairs form in January and February; eggs are laid between February and April, occasionally until June. The nest consists of an unlined patch of gravel in a sandy spot. Two eggs are placed directly on the bare ground (Jennings 2010). After the breeding season, individuals congregate in large groups (Jennings 2010). During winter, a migratory population occurs in the UAE, which most likely migrates from breeding grounds in Iraq, Syria and Iran (Jennings 2010).