Wattled Jacana
Jacana jacana (Linnaeus, 1766)
17–23 cmLength106 gWeight
The wattled jacana (Jacana jacana) is a wader in the family Jacanidae found throughout much of South America east of the Andes, as well as western Panama and Trinidad.
Most records: Argentina, Brazil, Panama
Where and when it's recorded
Most records: Argentina, Brazil, Panama
Wattled Jacana has been recorded at 499 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 21 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Reserva Ecológica Costanera SurArgentina10,879 records
- Ammo Dump PondsPanama7,458 records
- RN Laguna de SonsoColombia2,659 records
More places
- Poconé – Pousada PiuvalBrazil2,308 records
- Panama Rainforest Discovery CenterPanama2,023 records
- Gamboa Rainforest ReservePanama1,724 records
- Pantanal – P. Jofre boat on Rio Cuiabá & tributariesBrazil1,378 records
- Gamboa Rainforest Reserve – MarinaPanama1,365 records
- Palermo – Camino Km 4Colombia1,236 records
- Reserva Ecológica de GuapiaçuBrazil987 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 wattled jacana (Jacana jacana) is a wader in the family Jacanidae found throughout much of South America east of the Andes, as well as western Panama and Trinidad. It is the only species in the Jacanidae family with such a large distribution. Wattled jacanas have long toes and claws which help them walk through aquatic vegetation.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Wattled Jacana?
The Wattled Jacana is about 17–23 cm long and weighs around 106 g.
Where does the Wattled Jacana live?
Its breeding range: South America: west-central Panama to northern Argentina. It is most often recorded in Argentina, Brazil and Panama.
Is the Wattled Jacana endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Wattled Jacana as Least Concern.
What does the Wattled Jacana eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Wattled Jacana in?
It belongs to the family Jacanas (Jacanidae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 17–23 cm
- Weight
- 106 g
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 129 mm
- Tail
- 43 mm
- Bill
- 34 mm
- Tarsus
- 54 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
South America: west-central Panama to northern Argentina
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Jacanas Jacanidae
- Genus
- Jacana
Other birds in the genus Jacana
Northern JacanaJacana spinosa
Pheasant-tailed JacanaHydrophasianus chirurgus
Lesser JacanaMicroparra capensis
Comb-crested JacanaIrediparra gallinacea
Bronze-winged JacanaMetopidius indicus
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 Greg Lasley. ↗
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