A classic wading bird of wetlands in continental Europe. Breeding is responsive to water levels and in dry years it may not breed or move northwards to do so. It has bred on occasions in Britain and occurs occasionally in Ireland as a non-breeding vagrant. This bird was photographed in a rice field in Delta del Ebro / Deltebre in north-eastern Spain / Catalunya.
coastal and inland s to ec Europe, Sal (ne Cape Verde Is., s Macaronesia, w of nw Africa); n and Sub-Saharan Africa, Socotra, and coastal Madagascar; through sw Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia to se Russia, ne, e China, locally Honshu and Shikoku (sc Japa
Africa (entire continent rather than south of Sahara)
AN
Antarctica
AO
Atlantic Ocean
AU
Australasia (Wallacea (Indonesian islands east of Wallace's line), New Guinea and its islands, Australia, New Zealand and its subantarctic islands, the Solomons, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu)
PAL
Eurasia (Europe, Asia from the Middle East through central Asia north of the Himalayas, Siberia and northern China to Japan)
IO
Indian Ocean
LA
Latin America (Middle and South America)
MA
Middle America (Mexico through Panama)
NA
North America (includes the Caribbean)
NO
Northern oceans
OR
Oriental Region (South Asia from Pakistan to Taiwan, plus Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and Greater Sundas)
