This species is mainly coastal. It favours mangrove habitats, but is also found along rocky and sandy coasts, coral reefs, harbours, breakwaters and jetties (Richardson 1990, Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). It is occasionally found at inland wetlands, including water-filled rubbish dumps, sewage treatment plants and gravel pits (Richardson 1990). The species forages mainly in stands of Black Mangroves Avicennia marina. In Arabia, it has only been observed to feed on fish, but elsewhere it also takes crabs, shrimps and other invertebrates (Jennings 2010). The breeding period lasts over spring and summer; the species may be double-brooded. Nests are loose structures of sticks and algae, which are hidden in bushes or rock crevices. The clutch size is not known; evidence from the Red Sea suggest that clutches contain four eggs (Jennings 2010).

This species is especially common on desert plains, but is generally found in a wide variety of flat habitats, including sandy and gravel desert, semi-desert and coastal dunes (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). Even though it is a shy species, it is frequently found in proximity to humans, e.g. in the outskirts of towns, in farmland and along the beach (Jennings 2010). The species is able to tolerate the hot and arid conditions of the sandy desert, and shows a variety of behavioural adaptations to combat the extreme heat, like standing in the shade, hiding in the holes of Spiny-tailed Lizards Uromastyx microlepis, or lying on shaded, damp ground (Jennings 2010). It feeds on invertebrates, which it obtains by digging in soft soil, chasing and aerial pursuits, or by searching in rock crevices. Occasionally, it takes small invertebrates like lizards (Jennings 2010). The species is territorial throughout the year. The breeding season lasts from February to July or even October, depending on the amount of rainfall (de Juana and Suárez 2019). The courtship display of the males include frequent calls with rising and falling notes, which consist of trilled whistles and clicks (S. Alam (Dubai Municipality) pers. comm. 2019). Males also perform distraction displays when the nest or chicks are threatened (S. Alam (Dubai Municipality) pers. comm. 2019). The nest consists of a cup dug into the ground, often in open conditions and exposed to the sun. Nests observed in the Dubai desert were located in bushes of Zygophyllum hamiense and made of soft twigs and lined with fine grass and feathers (S. Alam (Dubai Municipality) pers. comm. 2019). Clutches contain two eggs; both sexes take turns in incubating and rearing the young (S. Alam (Dubai Municipality) pers. comm. 2019)

This species inhabits sparsely wooded areas and broken country, like woodland, areas of scattered trees, riparian forests, thorn scrubs and thickets, cuttings, parks and gardens (Richardson 1990, Aspinall and Porter 2011). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere it feeds mainly on small arthropods, especially insects and their larvae and eggs, but also takes various berries, fruits and seeds (Aymí and Gargallo 2015). The species is migratory; it breeds in south-western Eurasia and winters from north-east Africa to Arabia and southern Iran (Snow and Perrins 1998).

The main habitat of this species are wadis and acacia scrub (Jennings 2010). It is also frequently found in well-vegetated parks, gardens and palm groves (Aspinall and Porter 2011). It feeds mostly on fruit, as well as on seeds and invertebrates and less frequently on nectar, leaves and flowers (Fishpool and Tobias 2005, Jennings 2010). Occasionally, it takes human food scraps and visits bird tables (Jennings 2010). Pairs establish a permanent bond. The breeding season can last from January to September, but peaks between March and April. There are hints that the species is double-brooded, but confirmation is still lacking (Jennings 2010). Clutches usually consist of less than three eggs, although occasionally four or five have been observed (Jennings 2010). The nest is a cup or small basket of thin twigs, grass stems, moss and leaves with the base constructed of broad leaves (sometimes with newspaper, strips of plastic or cotton wool) and the structure is held together by cobwebs and cotton threads, lined after a fashion with hair, shredded bark and rootlets, apparently sometimes unlined (Fishpool and Tobias 2005, Jennings 2010). It is placed in a bush or tree at least 2 m above ground (Jennings 2010).

The species occurs in parks and gardens, cultivations and date groves, as well as semi-desert and scrubland with good vegetation cover (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). During migration, the species also occupies very arid places, but it generally avoids dry habitat during the breeding season, when it favours shaded, leafy areas with water readily available (Jennings 2010). It forages on the ground in leaf litter and under dense vegetation, where it takes mostly invertebrates and, especially during migration, also berries of Salvadora persica trees (Jennings 2010). The breeding season lasts from late spring to mid-summer (Jennings 2010). The nest is a loose flat cup of dry grass stems, twigs and bark, lined with fine fibres, hair and feathers. It is built in dense vegetation, often on the trunk of a date palm, on branches, in vines or in tree holes (Jennings 2010). It is possible that the species is double- or even triple-brooded (Jennings 2010).

This species occurs in wetlands like freshwater and brackish marshes, sewage treatment plants and irrigated grassland (Richardson 1990, Aspinall and Porter 2011). There is no information available about the species's diet in the UAE; elsewhere the diet varies seasonally depending on availability, and the species takes insects, worms, leeches, molluscs, crustaceans and occasionally fish, frogs, tadpoles, lizards, small snakes and nestling birds (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Hancock et al. 1992). It feeds in very shallow water in small flocks of up to 30 individuals (Brown et al. 1982, del Hoyo et al. 1992, Hancock et al. 1992). The species is migratory and breeds in mixed-species colonies throughout southern-central Eurasia (del Hoyo et al. 1992).

This species inhabits inland freshwater areas, like marshes, bogs, ditches, wet or irrigated grassland, occasionally creeks, but only rarely coastal areas and saltwater habitats (Richardson 1990, Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). Particularly the resident population is well adapted to humans and can be considered commensal; when feeding, it often visits human sites, including crop fields, livestock enclosures, rubbish dumps and gardens (Jennings 2010). Its diet consists primarily of insects and small reptiles (Jennings 2010). The species is a diurnal feeder (del Hoyo et al. 1992). It breeds colonially; in Dubai, the colony is shared with breeding Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Jennings 2010). The timing of the breeding season in eastern Arabia is not known; in general, the species may breed throughout the year with different regional peaks depending on food availability (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Kushlan and Hancock 2005). The nesting effort of the species is related to rainfall patterns, leading to an annual variation in productivity (Kushlan and Hancock 2005). The nest is constructed of sticks and positioned in a bush or tree, preferably acacia, tamarisk or ghaf (Jennings 2010). In Arabia, clutches contain two to three, seldom up to five eggs (Jennings 2010). Outside of the breeding season the species remains gregarious (Brown et al. 1982, del Hoyo et al. 1992).

This species occurs at large, shallow inland wetlands rich with fish (Richardson 1990, del Hoyo et al. 1992, Aspinall and Porter 2011). It frequents mainly rivers and creeks, marshes and lakes (Richardson 1990).;Outside of the breeding season, the species may feed solitarily or in small loose groups, although flocks of hundreds or more individuals may form where food is abundant (Brown et al. 1982, Marchant and Higgins 1990, del Hoyo et al. 1992). The species is a diurnal feeder, but is most active at dawn and dusk (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Kushlan and Hancock 2005). The species is migratory. Individuals wintering in or migrating through the UAE may breed in southern-central Asia. The timing of the breeding season varies geographically, but concentrates around spring and summer. The species typically breeds in colonies of tens, hundreds or even a thousand pairs, sometimes with other species (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Kushlan and Hancock 2005).

This species occurs along the coast, where it frequents sandbanks, lagoons and coastal breakwaters (Richardson 1990, Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). It is occasionally found at large inland lakes like dams, reservoirs and fish farms (Richardson 1990, Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). It feeds predominantly on fish, which it are caught by diving pursuits (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Jennings 2010). Birds wintering in the UAE may breed in Turkey, the southern Caspian region or southern Pakistan (Jennings 2010).

This species occurs on the open sea up to 50 km off the coast, and only comes to offshore islands or to the mainland for resting on sandy beaches (Jennings 2010, Aspinall and Porter 2011). It forages in small groups by plunge-diving or surface-dipping (Jennings 2010). There is no information available about its diet in the UAE; elsewhere, it feeds predominantly on small pelagic fish, but it will opportunistically take cephalopods, crustaceans, insects and hatchling turtles (Urban et al. 1986, del Hoyo et al. 1996, Higgins and Davies 1996). The species also preys on chicks of White-cheeked Tern Sterna repressa and Lesser Crested Tern Thalasseus bengalensis (Jennings 2010). The species breeds in spring to early summer; in the UAE, eggs have been recorded between May and June (Jennings 2010). It breeds on offshore islands in large dense colonies of up to 1,000 pairs, often associated with Lesser Crested Tern Thalasseus bengalensis and other tern species (Jennings 2010). The colonies are located on open, sandy areas (Jennings 2010). On Qarnayn;Island, the nesting habitat is in the soft sandy areas on the northwestern part of the island. A single egg is laid on the bare sand; only during incubation and nestling stage, a shallow scrape develops (Jennings 2010). Juveniles leave the nests a few days after hatching and form crèches along the shoreline (Jennings 2010). After the breeding season, individuals breeding off the UAE coast migrate south as far as the coast of Kenya, while birds from the northern Arabian Gulf may winter in the UAE (Jennings 2010).