This species in uncommon. It inhabits grasslands and coastal areas of the tundra region, up to 1,000m asl. It is migratory, breeding in U.S.A (mainly Alaska), Canada, and Russia, and wintering in Brazil, Hungary, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, India, Tunisia and Ukraine. It mostly forages on crops like soybean and corn (BirdLife International 2017). 

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, with the current population estimate of 15,300-56,000 individuals. The threats to its persistence come from hunting, habitat degradation, toxic chemical exposure for agriculture, and climate change (BirdLife International 2017).