Bronze-winged Jacana
Hindu Jacana
The Hindu Jacana ( Metopidius indicus) is one of the Jacana, a family of wading birds in the order Charadriiformes ( Charadriiformes ). It is the only species of the monotypic genus so Metopidius.
Features
Hindu Jacana are striking and unmistakable bird. They reach a body length of 28-31 cm, the females are larger than males on average. From the eyelids up to the upper neck extends a striking wide, white stripe over eyes. The rest of the head, the neck, the bottom and the lower wing, with the exception of the dark- red under tail and dark brown rear flanks, black with a strong dark green gloss. The neck base shines blue violet dark. Mantle, scapulars, wing-coverts and the outer webs of the shield springs are shiny brownish- green, the primaries and primaries ceilings, Daumenfittich and secondaries blackish with faint green tinge. Back, rump, upper tail-coverts and tail feathers are fed up with maroon and violet luster.
The Jacana for a final, towards the tip, yellow beak, goes to the base of greenish yellow to reddish in young birds it is predominantly greenish yellow. The base of the upper beak is bright red, the upper part of the forehead shield almost round. The legs and extremely long toes are dark green. The iris is brown.
Females and males show no differences in plumage. Any white or yellow-brown coloration of the lower points to young birds. Your back is dull greenish brown, rump and upper tail sooty-brown, the supraorbital stripe is short and does not extend behind the eyes. There are no known subspecies.
Measurements (adult birds, according to Rasmussen and Anderton, 2005):
- Length 280-310 mm
- Wing length 150-197 mm ( males 150-180 mm, females 167-197 mm)
- Foot length 61-76 mm
- Tail length 40-52 mm
- Beak from the tip to the top of the forehead shield 34-46 mm
Dissemination
The Hindu Jacana has its breeding area in India and Southeast Asia. The range extends from India ( with the exception of Rajasthan ) through Myanmar to southwestern China (southwest Yunnan ), Thailand includes (without the northeast and southwest ), Cambodia, Central Laos, South Vietnam, western Indonesia (Sumatra, Java) and the Malay Peninsula. Usually it is stationary the time, however, can seasonal disappear.
Habitat and behavior
The habitat of the Hindu Jacana worldwide within the tropical zone, shallow, vegetated waters with floating plants. In addition, they also occur on wet grassland and overgrown rice paddies.
The Hindu Jacana feeds on insects, which are picked from the floating vegetation or the water surface. Its contact call, often in flight, is a short, harsh grunt, his reputation with aggression or as an alarm a hoarse seek -seek -seek.
The males defend their territory with great energy. In an emergency, they hide by immersion or by looking at the vegetation from the water protection. The nest in a floating nest consists of four brown eggs with black spots. Hatched in India usually during the summer monsoons from June to September. As with some other wading birds, such as the water bike, the males take over the business of breeding alone and sometimes take the chick on the back between the wings. The females often tend to polyandry ( polyandry ).