The species has been recorded in Fernando de Noronha islands, and more rarely in mainland South America, as a vagrant.

The squacco heron's breeding habitat is marshy wetlands in warm countries.

The squacco heron is a host of the Acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Ardeirhynchus spiralis.

[3] The English common name squacco comes via Francis Willughby (c. 1672) quoting a local Italian name sguacco.

The Squacco Heron uses freshwater localities throughout Europe and the Middle East as breeding grounds to later migrate south to the Sub-Saharan African region.