Facts, Information, Scientific Name of Bronze-winged Jacana
In the wetlands with a bloomed floating vegetation, you find a cryptic yet glossy-coloured bird with long legs and toes.
Scientific name – Metopidius indicus
Size – 29 cm
Type – Aves
The Habitat and Habit
Wetlands that consist of vegetation like Water hyacinth and Ipomea aquatica in the countries of South East Asia and the Indian Subcontinent, invite the Bird Bronze-winged Jacana.
Floating vegetation like Water Hyacinth and Ipomea is a food source, nesting source and hiding source for this wetland bird. They prefer the area with this vegetation.
A Bronze look and a functional Frontal Shield.
Bronze-winged Jacana has brown bronze with a green shine on its wings as per its name.
Apart from that, the bird is identified with a dark-coloured body. A white-coloured supercilium (a patch) which is above its eyes and the base of its Lower greenish-yellow beak, reaching to the back of its neck.
The tail is Brown that consistsa black band.
A red spot is present on the upper beak of its forehead. This Reddish purple spot is called the ‘Frontal Shield’.
The Frontal Shield consists of a hard part made up of a protein called ‘callus’ and a soft fleshy part known as ‘corium’. Corium helps in maintaining the body at ease during stress and strains.
The frontal Shieldon Bronze-winged Jacana is for protection, which also sends the message of territorial claim and defence due to its bright colours.
The toes of these birds are long with large nails.
Female Polyandry, Harems and Male parental care.
June to September is the Breeding phase of Bronze-winged Jacana.
Mature Male birds are active in the state to show their territorial claims by displaying the open wing pose and stretched neck.
9am to 11am is the time for this activity.
Females are busy making Harems. A group of chosen males surrounds her territory.
Female mates with the many males until she passes her eggs to the potential males. This is known as Polyandry. The only intention of female behind this is the survival of the next generation.
Now comes the role of males. They built nests on vegetation, with the plants’ materials like Pistia, Hydrilla, Eichhornia, and Nymphoides stems and leaves.
Eggs are also laid on a large lotus leaf.
The egg clutch is of 4 eggs. They hatch in 29 days. Males incubate and look out for eggs.
The beautiful habit of Bronze-winged Jacana males that shows the father’s parental care. The parental care in which the male travels on the vegetation with the chicks on a firm hold between his wings, until they are 10 weeks old, they become independent brown down-feathered birds.
Also See ⇒ Bird Facts