Bird Album
Bronze-winged Jacana
Metopidius indicus (Latham, 1790)
26–31 cmLength54 cmWingspan155 gWeight
It has a white supercilium extending to the back of the head and walks across floating leaves on the water.
Busiest months: December–February · Most records: India, Thailand, Nepal
How to identify
Field marks
- White supercilium extends from above the eye to the nape
- Head, neck and breast black
- Wings bronze-brown with a green sheen
- Toes long; hind claw longer than the toe
Male, female and young
Sexes similar, female larger; juvenile has a white belly and a reddish-brown crown.
Voice
Gives low, harsh grunts and also calls “seek-seek-seek”.
Where and when it's recorded
Bronze-winged Jacana has been recorded at 280 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 11 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Saul Kere / Sowl KereIndia3,656 records
- Bharatpur – Keoladeo Ghana NPIndia3,431 records
- Hoskote / Hosakote KereIndia2,210 records
More places
- Krishnampathi Lake, SeeranaickenpalayamIndia2,174 records
- Baruipur MarshesIndia1,619 records
- Doddanekundi KereIndia1,534 records
- Vellayani – Punchakkari WetlandsIndia1,345 records
- Nandankanan Zoological ParkIndia1,037 records
- IIT BombayIndia1,008 records
- Lat Krabang – Thap Yao paddies & aquaculture pondsThailand1,005 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The bronze-winged jacana (Metopidius indicus) is a wader in the family Jacanidae. It is found across South and Southeast Asia and is the sole species in the genus Metopidius. Like other jacanas it forages on lilies and other floating aquatic vegetation, using its long feet and legs for balance.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Bronze-winged Jacana?
The Bronze-winged Jacana is about 26–31 cm long, with a wingspan of 54 cm and weighs around 155 g.
Where does the Bronze-winged Jacana live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: inland India to Vietnam and northern Malay Peninsula. It is most often recorded in India, Thailand and Nepal.
When is the best time to see the Bronze-winged Jacana?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February and December (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Bronze-winged Jacana endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Bronze-winged Jacana as Least Concern.
What does the Bronze-winged Jacana eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Bronze-winged Jacana in?
It belongs to the family Jacanas (Jacanidae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 26–31 cm
- Wingspan
- 54 cm
- Weight
- 155 g
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 161 mm
- Tail
- 47 mm
- Bill
- 34 mm
- Tarsus
- 68 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: inland India to Vietnam and northern Malay Peninsula
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Jacanas Jacanidae
- Genus
- Metopidius
More from the family Jacanas
Pheasant-tailed JacanaHydrophasianus chirurgus
Northern JacanaJacana spinosa
Wattled JacanaJacana jacana
Lesser JacanaMicroparra capensis
Comb-crested JacanaIrediparra gallinacea
African JacanaActophilornis africanus
Madagascar JacanaActophilornis albinucha
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by cjmatheson. ↗
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