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Pheasant-tailed Jacana

Hydrophasianus chirurgus · Species of bird
Family
Order
Charadriiformes
Codes
phtjac1, PTJA

About the Pheasant-tailed Jacana

The pheasant-tailed jacana is a jacana in the monotypic genus Hydrophasianus. Like all other jacanas, they have elongated toes and nails that enable them to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes, their preferred habitat. They may also swim or wade in water reaching their body while foraging mainly for invertebrate prey. They are found in tropical Asia from Yemen in the west to the Philippines in the east and move seasonally in parts of their range. They are the only jacanas that migrate long distances and have different non-breeding and breeding plumages. The pheasant-tailed jacana forages by swimming or by walking on aquatic vegetation. Females are larger than males and are polyandrous, laying several clutches that are raised by different males in their harem.

Source: Wikipedia

Taxonomy & Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderCharadriiformes
FamilyJacanas (Jacanidae)
SpeciesHydrophasianus chirurgus
Species Codesphtjac1, PTJA

Frequently Asked Questions

What family does the Pheasant-tailed Jacana belong to?

The Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus) belongs to the Jacanas family (Jacanidae), in the order Charadriiformes.

How can I identify the Pheasant-tailed Jacana?

The pheasant-tailed jacana is a jacana in the monotypic genus Hydrophasianus. Like all other jacanas, they have elongated toes and nails that enable them to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes, their preferred habitat. They may also swim or wade in water reaching their body while foraging m...

Where can I report a Pheasant-tailed Jacana sighting?

You can log sightings of Pheasant-tailed Jacana on eBird (ebird.org) using species code phtjac1, or on iNaturalist.