Coastal areas of almost the entire island of Tenerife (except the West and Center), all of Gran Canaria (except North and Northwest), all of Fuerteventura (including Lobos), all of Lanzarote, and the Chinijo archipelago (Graciosa).

The habitat occupied by the species includes salt flats, sandy beaches, as well as the intertidal zone of shallows. It can also be found in salt marshes, and has occasionally grown in inland areas, such as dams and reservoirs, in ravines with water in its channel, and even in semi-arid plains. The nests are simple depressions in the ground, covered by small stones and fragments of shells, in sandy areas or earthy soils. In the salinas the situation is common in the walls that delimit the heaters, and even on the salt itself. The island populations are sedentary, although they can sometimes make movements possibly motivated by discomfort in their usual places of feeding and breeding. (Martín & Lorenzo, 2001)