Breeds in marshes with reedbeds, grassy meadows and sometimes dense overgrown cultivated landscapes. In the non-breeding season, uses forest pools, swamps, streams with a wooded understorey.

Breeds in south-easternmost Russia, adjacent north-east and east mainland China, the Korean Peninsula, and very locally in Japan where it is now considered rare (Chikara 2019). Birds mostly migrate through South-East Asia (though see below) and  most appear to winter in Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo (Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei), Sumatra, Java and north Sulawesi (Indonesia) and in the Philippines. In all these states however it is considered rare (e.g. Allen 2020, Eaton et al. 2021) and while this in part due to its low detectability, it also is likely to be a reflection of genuine scarcity. Birds may also sometimes winter further north, in south-west Japan (Chikara 2019), south-east China and Taiwan (China) (eBird 2025). In Lao PDR, it is obviously mostly a passage migrant that is commonest late April/early May, but there is a single winter record suggesting that some birds may overwinter here (Timmins et al. 2024).

Conservation Actions Underway
No specific conservation action targeting this species is known, although it occurs in numerous protected areas in both the breeding and non-breeding areas (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2025).

Conservation Actions Proposed
Conduct surveys in the breeding areas (particularly in China) to better understand the species' breeding range and population size. Continue to monitor habitat trends using remote sensing data. Ensure sites on the breeding and non-breeding grounds are adequately protected (via protected areas or OECMs)/are safeguarded from threats.