Species guide
Wattled Jacana: how to recognise it
A bird of North America and South America. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Greg Lasley · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Jacana jacana
- Family
- Jacanas
- Size
- About 21–25 cm
- Habitat
- Ponds and marshes with floating plants
- Found in
- North America and South America
The key marks
A chestnut-and-black bird with a yellow-and-red face, a red wattle and very long toes.
Voice
A harsh, cackling “kek-kek-kek”.
Good to know
Its long toes spread its weight so it can walk on floating water lilies.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in ponds and marshes with floating plants. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.