Hydrophasianus chirurgus
The Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus) is an exquisite and distinctive "lily-trotter" found across the freshwater wetlands of tropical Asia. Measuring 28-31 cm in body length (excluding its spectacular tail, which can add up to 25 cm in breeding males and 35 cm in breeding females), with a wingspan of 58-69 cm and weighing 100-150g, this medium-sized shorebird is instantly recognizable. During the breeding season, adults boast a striking white body, black head and hindneck, a b...
This species thrives in freshwater wetlands, particularly those with abundant floating vegetation like water lilies and lotus pads, typically found in tropical and subtropical lowlands.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a wide variety of aquatic insects and their larvae, as well as small crustaceans, mollusks, and spiders; occasionally consumes plant seeds. Forages by gleaning from floating vegetation and plucking items from the water surface.
Pheasant-tailed Jacanas are diurnal and highly active, spending their days foraging on floating vegetation. They employ a distinctive "lily-trotting" foraging strategy, walking lightly across lily pads and other aquatic plants, picking insects and other invertebrates from the surface or just belo...
The Pheasant-tailed Jacana has a widespread distribution across South and Southeast Asia. Its breeding range extends from the Indian subcontinent (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan) eastward through Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, B...
Least Concern
- The Pheasant-tailed Jacana is one of the few bird species globally to exhibit polyandry, where one female mates with multiple males, leaving each male to incubate the eggs and raise the young. - Breeding females are larger and more brightly plumaged than males, a reversal of typical sexual dimo...