This small, highly nomadic tropical species is found throughout sub-Saharan wetlands. It favours seasonally flooded pans such as the Tsumkwe Pans, where up to 28 birds occur, and the Okavango River floodplains where up to 30 birds can occur in the Mahango area of Bwabwata National Park. It is found as far west as the Kunene River mouth and at dams and sewage works as far south as Rehoboth.