Large expanses of wet mud at the margins of terrestrial freshwater wetlands are the preferred habitat of the Red-kneed Dotterel. There they stand motionless for long periods, sometimes bobbing their heads, before scurrying over the mud near the edge of the water to take insects and other invertebrates, which are usually pecked from the surface or just below. The sparsely vegetated habitats that are inhabited by Red-kneed Dotterels are of special interest to researchers, as the species often occurs at the same wetlands as the threatened Australian Painted Snipe.
