The mainland population winters in northern Southeast Asia from northeastern India to Cambodia.

This species has occurred as a vagrant in Russia, the Philippines, Indonesia, New South Wales, Australia, Telangana[2] and Sri Lanka,[1] as well as Sweden and England.

Adults of both sexes are similarly plumaged, but males are slightly larger than females.

Young birds have the white areas of plumage tinged with grey, a less distinct breast band, and pale fringes to the upperpart and wing covert feathers.

This species nests from April to July in wet grassland, rice fields and marshland edges.