This rare species is also known as the Eastern knot. It inhabits marine intertidal and coastal grasslands, at the subarctic heights of 300m to 1,600m. It is migratory, breeding on lichen patches and heathers in Russia, wintering in mangroves of India, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia and Denmark species (BirdLife International 2019).

This species is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (https://www.iucnredlist.org/).

According to the IUCN Red List Assessment, the population of this species is declining and its current population size is unknown. The threat to its persistence comes from habitat degradation due to large scale agriculture, aquaculture and other human encroachments. Oil spills, pollution, and climate change are also threats to this species (BirdLife International 2019).