| African Jacana | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Jacanidae |
| Genus: | Actophilornis |
| Species: | A. africana |
| Binomial name | |
| Actophilornis africana (Gmelin, 1789) |
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The African Jacana (Actophilornis africana) is a jacana. The jacanas are a group of waders in the family Jacanidae, which are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone.
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These are conspicuous and unmistakable birds. They are 30cm long,but the females are larger than the males. They have chestnut upperparts with black wingtips,rear neck and eyestripe. The underparts are white,with a chestnut belly patch in adult birds. The blue bill extends up as a coot-like head shield,and the legs and very long toes are grey.
The African Jacana's food is insects and other invertebrates picked from the floating vegetation or the water’s surface.
The African Jacana breeds throughout sub-Saharan Africa. It is sedentary apart from seasonal dispersion. It lays four black-marked brown eggs in a floating nest. It is a polyandrous species, which means that one female mates with multiple males and the male alone cares for the chicks. The male African Jacana has the ability to pick up and carry his chicks underneath his wings as well, a remarkable adaptation for parental care.