diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/ManifestReader.java b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/ManifestReader.java
index 40ea17aaa592..15beded07bdc 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/ManifestReader.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/ManifestReader.java
@@ -146,24 +146,37 @@ private <T extends ContentFile<T>> PartitionSpec readPartitionSpec(InputFile inp
   }
 
   private static <T extends ContentFile<T>> Map<String, String> readMetadata(InputFile inputFile) {
-    Map<String, String> metadata;
-    try {
-      try (CloseableIterable<ManifestEntry<T>> headerReader =
-          InternalData.read(FileFormat.AVRO, inputFile)
-              .project(ManifestEntry.getSchema(Types.StructType.of()).select("status"))
-              .build()) {
-
-        if (headerReader instanceof AvroIterable) {
-          metadata = ((AvroIterable<ManifestEntry<T>>) headerReader).getMetadata();
-        } else {
-          throw new RuntimeException(
-              "Reader does not support metadata reading: " + headerReader.getClass().getName());
-        }
+    FileFormat format = FileFormat.fromFileName(inputFile.location());
+    if (format == null) {
+      // Default to Avro for backward compatibility
+      format = FileFormat.AVRO;
+    }
+
+    try (CloseableIterable<ManifestEntry<T>> headerReader =
+        InternalData.read(format, inputFile)
+            .project(ManifestEntry.getSchema(Types.StructType.of()).select("status"))
+            .build()) {
+
+      if (headerReader instanceof AvroIterable) {
+        return ((AvroIterable<ManifestEntry<T>>) headerReader).getMetadata();
+      } else {
+        return extractMetadataViaReflection(headerReader);
       }
     } catch (IOException e) {
       throw new RuntimeIOException(e);
     }
-    return metadata;
+  }
+
+  private static <T extends ContentFile<T>> Map<String, String> extractMetadataViaReflection(
+      CloseableIterable<ManifestEntry<T>> reader) {
+    // For Parquet and other formats, use reflection to call getMetadata if available
+    try {
+      java.lang.reflect.Method getMetadataMethod = reader.getClass().getMethod("getMetadata");
+      return (Map<String, String>) getMetadataMethod.invoke(reader);
+    } catch (Exception e) {
+      throw new RuntimeException(
+          "Reader does not support metadata reading: " + reader.getClass().getName(), e);
+    }
   }
 
   public boolean isDeleteManifestReader() {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/ManifestWriter.java b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/ManifestWriter.java
index 43b8e3ed7095..39fae95a8bf7 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/ManifestWriter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/ManifestWriter.java
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ protected FileAppender<ManifestEntry<DataFile>> newAppender(
         PartitionSpec spec, OutputFile file) {
       Schema manifestSchema = V4Metadata.entrySchema(spec.partitionType());
       try {
-        return InternalData.write(FileFormat.AVRO, file)
+        return InternalData.write(FileFormat.PARQUET, file)
             .schema(manifestSchema)
             .named("manifest_entry")
             .meta("schema", SchemaParser.toJson(spec.schema()))
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ protected FileAppender<ManifestEntry<DeleteFile>> newAppender(
         PartitionSpec spec, OutputFile file) {
       Schema manifestSchema = V4Metadata.entrySchema(spec.partitionType());
       try {
-        return InternalData.write(FileFormat.AVRO, file)
+        return InternalData.write(FileFormat.PARQUET, file)
             .schema(manifestSchema)
             .named("manifest_entry")
             .meta("schema", SchemaParser.toJson(spec.schema()))
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/SnapshotProducer.java b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/SnapshotProducer.java
index d11f466434ec..12c2d6c85c53 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/SnapshotProducer.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/SnapshotProducer.java
@@ -560,9 +560,12 @@ protected OutputFile manifestListPath() {
   }
 
   protected EncryptedOutputFile newManifestOutputFile() {
+    // Use Parquet for v4 manifests, Avro for earlier versions
+    FileFormat manifestFormat =
+        ops.current().formatVersion() >= 4 ? FileFormat.PARQUET : FileFormat.AVRO;
     String manifestFileLocation =
         ops.metadataFileLocation(
-            FileFormat.AVRO.addExtension(commitUUID + "-m" + manifestCount.getAndIncrement()));
+            manifestFormat.addExtension(commitUUID + "-m" + manifestCount.getAndIncrement()));
     return EncryptingFileIO.combine(ops.io(), ops.encryption())
         .newEncryptingOutputFile(manifestFileLocation);
   }
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestBase.java b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestBase.java
index 2b91e212627d..d86ebd867056 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestBase.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestBase.java
@@ -277,7 +277,8 @@ ManifestFile writeManifest(DataFile... files) throws IOException {
   }
 
   ManifestFile writeManifest(Long snapshotId, DataFile... files) throws IOException {
-    File manifestFile = temp.resolve("input.m0.avro").toFile();
+    String extension = formatVersion >= 4 ? ".parquet" : ".avro";
+    File manifestFile = temp.resolve("input.m0" + extension).toFile();
     assertThat(manifestFile).doesNotExist();
     OutputFile outputFile = table.ops().io().newOutputFile(manifestFile.getCanonicalPath());
 
@@ -299,7 +300,8 @@ ManifestFile writeManifest(String fileName, ManifestEntry<?>... entries) throws
   }
 
   ManifestFile writeManifest(Long snapshotId, ManifestEntry<?>... entries) throws IOException {
-    return writeManifest(snapshotId, "input.m0.avro", entries);
+    String extension = formatVersion >= 4 ? ".parquet" : ".avro";
+    return writeManifest(snapshotId, "input.m0" + extension, entries);
   }
 
   @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
@@ -333,9 +335,10 @@ <F extends ContentFile<F>> ManifestFile writeManifest(
 
   ManifestFile writeDeleteManifest(int newFormatVersion, Long snapshotId, DeleteFile... deleteFiles)
       throws IOException {
+    FileFormat manifestFormat = newFormatVersion >= 4 ? FileFormat.PARQUET : FileFormat.AVRO;
     OutputFile manifestFile =
         org.apache.iceberg.Files.localOutput(
-            FileFormat.AVRO.addExtension(
+            manifestFormat.addExtension(
                 temp.resolve("junit" + System.nanoTime()).toFile().toString()));
     ManifestWriter<DeleteFile> writer =
         ManifestFiles.writeDeleteManifest(newFormatVersion, SPEC, manifestFile, snapshotId);
@@ -350,7 +353,8 @@ ManifestFile writeDeleteManifest(int newFormatVersion, Long snapshotId, DeleteFi
   }
 
   ManifestFile writeManifestWithName(String name, DataFile... files) throws IOException {
-    File manifestFile = temp.resolve(name + ".avro").toFile();
+    String extension = formatVersion >= 4 ? ".parquet" : ".avro";
+    File manifestFile = temp.resolve(name + extension).toFile();
     assertThat(manifestFile).doesNotExist();
     OutputFile outputFile = table.ops().io().newOutputFile(manifestFile.getCanonicalPath());
 
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestTransaction.java b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestTransaction.java
index 7715c045bd9e..5eb5317eb619 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestTransaction.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestTransaction.java
@@ -652,9 +652,10 @@ public void testTransactionRewriteManifestsAppendedDirectly() throws IOException
     List<ManifestFile> manifests = table.currentSnapshot().allManifests(table.io());
     assertThat(manifests).hasSize(2);
 
+    String extension = formatVersion >= 4 ? ".parquet" : ".avro";
     ManifestFile newManifest =
         writeManifest(
-            "manifest-file-1.avro",
+            "manifest-file-1" + extension,
             manifestEntry(ManifestEntry.Status.EXISTING, firstSnapshotId, FILE_A),
             manifestEntry(ManifestEntry.Status.EXISTING, secondSnapshotId, FILE_B));
 
@@ -863,12 +864,13 @@ public void testOverwriteWithConcurrentManifestRewrite() throws IOException {
     overwriteFiles.commit();
 
     // cause the overwrite transaction commit to fail and retry
+    String extension = formatVersion >= 4 ? ".parquet" : ".avro";
     RewriteManifests rewriteManifests =
         table
             .rewriteManifests()
             .addManifest(
                 writeManifest(
-                    "new_manifest.avro",
+                    "new_manifest" + extension,
                     manifestEntry(Status.EXISTING, first.snapshotId(), FILE_A),
                     manifestEntry(Status.EXISTING, first.snapshotId(), FILE_A2),
                     manifestEntry(Status.EXISTING, second.snapshotId(), FILE_B)))
diff --git a/parquet/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/parquet/Parquet.java b/parquet/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/parquet/Parquet.java
index 2b2e460ee994..551f9af3a283 100644
--- a/parquet/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/parquet/Parquet.java
+++ b/parquet/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/parquet/Parquet.java
@@ -1533,7 +1533,7 @@ public <D> CloseableIterable<D> build() {
         builder.withDecryption(fileDecryptionProperties);
       }
 
-      return new ParquetIterable<>(builder);
+      return new ParquetIterable<>(builder, file);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/parquet/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/parquet/ParquetIterable.java b/parquet/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/parquet/ParquetIterable.java
index ac4e5c1f97ed..450ead86d897 100644
--- a/parquet/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/parquet/ParquetIterable.java
+++ b/parquet/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/parquet/ParquetIterable.java
@@ -28,9 +28,27 @@
 
 public class ParquetIterable<T> extends CloseableGroup implements CloseableIterable<T> {
   private final ParquetReader.Builder<T> builder;
+  private final org.apache.iceberg.io.InputFile inputFile;
+  private java.util.Map<String, String> metadata = null;
 
-  ParquetIterable(ParquetReader.Builder<T> builder) {
+  ParquetIterable(ParquetReader.Builder<T> builder, org.apache.iceberg.io.InputFile inputFile) {
     this.builder = builder;
+    this.inputFile = inputFile;
+  }
+
+  public java.util.Map<String, String> getMetadata() {
+    if (metadata == null) {
+      try {
+        org.apache.parquet.hadoop.ParquetFileReader reader =
+            org.apache.parquet.hadoop.ParquetFileReader.open(
+                org.apache.iceberg.parquet.ParquetIO.file(inputFile));
+        metadata = reader.getFooter().getFileMetaData().getKeyValueMetaData();
+        reader.close();
+      } catch (java.io.IOException e) {
+        throw new org.apache.iceberg.exceptions.RuntimeIOException(e);
+      }
+    }
+    return metadata;
   }
 
   @Override