Medium large. Long tail, long toes, with spatulate extensions on outer primaries, spur at bend of wing. Sexes alike but female is larger.
Adults: Breeding: Whole of head, throat, upper breast, most of wing, including underwing, white. Nape, stripe down side of neck to shoulder, rump, tail, outer primaries and tips to other primaries, secondaries, black. Eye, brown. Hind neck, golden yellow. Back, scapulars, blackish-brown glossed with purple. Breast, belly, blackish-brown. Bill, bluish with yellowish tip. Legs, blue grey. Non-breeding: Crown, blackish. Hind neck, brown. Sides of neck, paler golden yellow. Eyestripe, from lores continuing down sides of neck, joining on breast to form a necklace, black. Remaining upperparts, lighter brown. White in wing reduced as all but first row of lesser coverts are brown. Breast, belly, undertail coverets, white. Bill, bluish, no yellow tip. Legs, blue grey.
Immatures: Similar to non-breeding adult, but crown chestnut and wing coverts have black barring.
Other Names (World)
Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Water-pheasant, Chinese Water-pheasant
Family
Jacanidae (Jacanas)
Size
Male: 30 - 43 cm
Female: 34 - 58.50 cm
Male Tail: 25 cm
Female Tail: 34 cm
Bangladesh, Cambodia, China (mainland), India (B) (NB), Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan (China), Thailand, Vietnam.
Vagrant to Afghanistan, Australia, Russia (Asian).
Pakistan, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka through Myanmar to south-eastern China and Taiwan, and south to south-eastern Asia and Malay Peninsula, southern Borneo and Phillippines. Winters sparsely south to Sumatra and Java, and also west to Oman and Yemen.
Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus) [XC127917]
by Andrew Spencer from Phnom Krom Marsh, nr Siem Reap, Cambodia (flight call)
Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus) [XC786453]
by David Farrow from Siem Reab (near Phnom Krom), Siem Reap, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia (call, flight call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds in Asia.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Subspecies
Genus occasionally included within Jacana, but alternatively considered to be one of the forms most distant from that genus.
No subspecies.
Similar Species
Comb-crested Jacana (Irediparra gallinacea)
Smaller. Juvenile and non-breeding with juvenile. Wings are dark and extend beyond the tail when folded. Tail is shorter. Has a reddish comb on forehead.
Compare Images
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
BirdLife International Species Factsheet