Wattled Jacana
Jacana jacana
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyJacanidae (Jacanas)
- GenusJacana (New World Jacanas)
- SpeciesJacana jacana (Wattled Jacana)
The wattled jacana (Jacana jacana) is a wader in the family Jacanidae found throughout much of South America east of the Andes, as well as western Panama and Trinidad. It is the only species in the Jacanidae family with such a large distribution. Wattled jacanas have long toes and claws which help them walk through aquatic vegetation. Like the majority of species of jacanas, the female is larger than the male, and forms harems of up to 4 or 5 males at any given time. There is also a major difference in proportional development or ornamentation (facial crest and wing size) and defense (length of wing spur) relative to body size when compared to males. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Wattled Jacana sighting in Machalilla National Park, based on 23 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Machalilla National Park
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Semipalmated Plover
Charadrius semipalmatus
Hudsonian Whimbrel
Numenius hudsonicus
Inca Tern
Larosterna inca
Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximus
Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Elegant Tern
Thalasseus elegans
Solitary Sandpiper
Tringa solitaria
Franklin's Gull
Leucophaeus pipixcan
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Wattled Jacana in Machalilla National Park?
About 3% of wildlife watchers report a Wattled Jacana sighting in Machalilla National Park, based on 23 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Wattled Jacana in Machalilla National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Wattled Jacana in Machalilla National Park in our monthly data.