Bird Guide

Bronze-winged Jacana vs Northern Jacana

Bronze-winged Jacana (Metopidius indicus)

Bronze-winged Jacana

Metopidius indicus

Medium155 gWetland

Bronze-winged jacanas are rail-like, large, short tailed birds that appear dark at a distance except for the supercilium. They are 29 cm (11 in) in length. The sexes are similar but the females are slightly larger than the males. The wings are bronzy brown with a green sheen and have a reduced tubercular carpal spur. The head, neck and breast are black and contrast with the broad white supercilium that runs from over the eye to the back of the neck. The lower back and tail coverts are chestnut. The tail is stubby and reddish brown with black terminal band.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: craig wilson · CC BY 4.0
Photo: sunnyjosef · CC BY 4.0
Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa)

Northern Jacana

Jacana spinosa

Medium94 gWetland

The northern jacana is medium-sized wader with long legs and elongated toes. It measures 21.5 to 24 cm (8.5 to 9.4 in) in overall length. The female is significantly larger than the male: breeding females average 161 g (5.7 oz) compared to 91 g (3.2 oz) for the male. It has a chestnut-maroon body with a black head, neck and breast. The bill is bright yellow as is the fleshy shield at the base of the forehead. The upper mandible has a white base. When in flight, its yellowish-green primary and secondary wing feathers are visible. Voice: Vocalizations among jacanas usually occur between mating pairs or between fathers and their young. Jacanas will emit "clustered-note calls", which are made of individual notes clustered together, when jacanas attack intruders in their territories. Jacanas also made calls when eggs or chicks are under threat by predators. The notes and their pattern depend on the urgency of the threat.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Paul Kehrer · CC BY 2.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Bronze-winged Jacana and Northern Jacana.