Birds · La Saladita, Guerrero

Northern Jacana

Jacana spinosa

Spanish: Cirujano / Gallito de agua

Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa)
Photographed by isa_moguel on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC

The northern jacana or northern jaçana (Jacana spinosa) is a wader which is a resident breeder from coastal Mexico to western Panama, and on Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola. It sometimes breeds in Texas, United States, and has also been recorded on several occasions as a vagrant in Arizona. The jacanas are a group of wetland birds, which are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow...

TaxonomyAves › Charadriiformes › Jacanidae
Local records38 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records11,800 on iNaturalist
Most recent records2025 – 2026
Months of the 8 most recent records
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Birds guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/jacana-spinosa/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.