Enjoy an Ecological Getaway with Meinong Lake’s Pheasant-Tailed Jacanas

　The male pheasant-tailed jacana（雉尾水雉）is known as the “bird world’s model father” as he takes on the responsibilities of incubating eggs and raising young. Every year, during the spring and summer breeding season, Meinong Lake（美濃湖）becomes especially lively with jacana activity.

　Here, you can spot Taiwan’s small but unique population of pheasant-tailed jacanas. During mating season, they put on a dazzling display to attract mates. Their nape turns golden yellow; paired with long black tail feathers, this indicates they are ready to show off and court a partner.

　Such precious sights were once on the brink of disappearing. The aquatic fields of white water snowflake (a type of vegetable known to scientists as Nymphoides hydrophylla) that coexisted with the jacanas were also listed as endangered due to environmental changes. Since 2017, local communities, supported by government initiatives, have been working to restore the wetland ecosystem. In 2024, the Jacana Guardians（護雉聯盟）joined forces with farming groups to promote a balance between conservation, tourism, and agriculture, leading to the development of eco-tourism and environmental education.

　On the second Saturday of each month, the public can join guided eco-tours at the Meinong Lake jacana habitat. The experience includes birdwatching, slackline walking, and paddleboarding. Guides bring visitors to former turtle ponds converted into aquatic plant zones, where they can experience harvesting and washing white water snowflake in the water. Children can play in pools filled with mixed aquatic plants, having a blast while also learning about the region’s rich ecological environment and the local wisdom that underpins sustainable lifestyles.

美濃湖「雉」在生態小旅行

文/Winnie 

　　水雉被譽為「鳥界的模範爸爸」，由公鳥擔任孵育和照顧角色。每年春夏繁殖季節，美濃湖水雉棲地最為熱鬧。

這裡可看見臺灣的「雉尾水雉」，牠們在繁殖季時為了吸引伴侶，會「盛裝打扮」換羽，後頸換上金黃色羽毛，搭配黑長尾羽，準備要求偶放閃。

　　如此珍貴的畫面，曾一度消失，和水雉共生共榮的野蓮田，也雙雙因環境變遷而被列入瀕危物種。2017年起，民間致力恢復美濃濕地生態，結合政府力量展開復育行動，2024年「護雉聯盟」更結合農民團體，串聯起保育、觀光與農業的價值，發展出生態旅遊及環境教育。

　　每月第二個週六，民眾可參加美濃湖水雉棲地觀察體驗活動，包含觀察水雉生態、走繩體驗和槳板划水。導覽老師帶領大家走訪由鱉池轉型的水草基地，親身體驗下水採洗野蓮，孩子們在各種水草混養的池中，玩得不亦樂乎，認識了美濃特色生態環境的同時，也體驗了在地的生態智慧。