This species is uncommon. It inhabits inland wetlands in the coastal plains from the sea level up to 880m. It is migratory; breeding in India, China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Romania, Egypt, and Ethiopia, during April-June in loose groups and pairs. For wintering, it congregates in large flocks from late October and migrates to Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Greece, Germany, Portugal, Serbia, Thailand, and Senegal. It mainly forages on seeds, insects, and molluscs (BirdLife International 2019).
 

This species is listed as Near Threatened 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 breeding habitat disturbance due to overgrazing, pollution of water bodies, and industrial waste (BirdLife International 2019).