The
bronze-winged jacana (
Metopidius indicus) is a
wader in the family
Jacanidae. It is found across South and Southeast Asia. Like other jacanas, it forages on lilies and other floating aquatic vegetation, using its long feet and legs for balance. The sexes are alike but females are slightly larger and are
polyandrous, maintaining a harem of males during the breeding season in the
monsoon rains. Males maintain territories, with one male in the harem chosen to incubate the eggs and take care of the young. When threatened, young chicks may be carried to safety by the male under his wings. This bronze-winged jacana was photographed in
Kumarakom on the shore of
Vembanad, the largest lake in the Indian state of
Kerala.
Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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