This rare species inhabits inland wetlands and freshwater habitats with dense vegetation. It is a migratory species that breeds in East Asia (Mongolia, Russia) and wintering in northeastern India, Sri Lanka, and other southeast Asian countries. It congregates along with other duck species during migration but disperses in smaller flocks on its wintering grounds (BirdLife International 2018).

Conservation Status:

This species is listed as Critically 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 rapidly declining, with the current population size estimated at 150-700 mature individuals. The threat to its persistence comes from wetland destruction, and large-scale agricultural and commercial developments. Adult survival is also low possibly due to hunting along the migratory route and on the wintering grounds (BirdLife International 2018).