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Pheasant-tailed Jacanas are medium-sized wetland birds with large feet. Their most prominent feature is the long pheasant-like tail that they have only during the breeding season. The plumage of the two sexes is basically identical. Sexing in the field is usually achieved by comparing sizes. The species displays reverse sexual dimorphism, meaning that males are smaller than females. In breeding plumage both sexes have a white head and neck bordered by a narrow black line from the cap down the sides of the neck. Behind the black line the neck is buff to rufous. The lower chest, belly, vent and very long tail are black. Mantle, back and inner wing coverts are lightly vermiculated dark-brown. The outer wing coverts are white and parts of the flight feathers are white, except for the outermost primary flight feathers and the tips of the other primaries, with are black. In eclipse both sexes have a dark-brown cap, nape of the neck and wing coverts, with grey vermiculation on the sides of the folded wings. Apart from a black bar through the eyes, down the sides of the neck and combining to a "V" on the chest, the front - from chin to undertail, and the sides of the head are white. Between the black bar and the nape of the neck the sides of the neck are creamy. In eclipse the tail is short. The outermost primary wing feathers, and the tips of the others, are black. One peculiarity of the Pheasant-tailed Jacana (both sexes) is that their primary flight feathers have spatulate tips. They are the black pointy tips sticking out upward at the rear end. The irises of both sexes are dark-brown. The bill, legs and feet are greyish-green to greyish-yellow. Juvenile Pheasant-tailed Jacanas resemble adults in eclipse but they have a rufous cap, rather than dark-brown.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Pheasant-tailed Jacana is available HERE .

The range of the Pheasant-tailed Jacana extends from the East coast of Arabia in the West to the Philippines, South Korea and Japan in the East and from southern China and the southern edge of the Himalayas in the North to Malaysia, Singapore and parts of Indonesia in the South. Within that range, basically all of the Indian subcontinent and south-east Asia (including only the southern tip of Borneo) are the core breeding range. They also breed along the lower Porali River in Pakistan. In summer, they extend their breeding range northward along the Porali River, and also a bit into the Himalayas and into all of south-eastern China. Outside the breeding season, Pheasant-tailed Jacanas disperse, reaching winter quarters on the East coast of Arabia (Oman and north-eastern Yemen) and Java in Indonesia. (As opposed to claims made elsewhere, there are no reported sightings on ebird from Sumatra, Indonesia).

In Australia, Pheasant-tailed Jacanas are found only as rare vagrants. The only reported sighting on Australian territory so far was in February 2025, on North Cocos (Keeling) Island.

Pheasant-tailed Jacanas live mostly in freshwater wetlands, i.e. freshwater lakes or swamps. Although usually found around aquatic vegetation such as water lilies, they can also be seen wading in the shallows of unvegetated wetlands.

We have not found Pheasant-tailed Jacanas in Australia yet. The photos shown below were taken by M. Eaton in Sri Lanka in October 2025. All photographic information presented on this page has been kindly contributed by M. Eaton.