African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus) lives in freshwater wetlands across Sub-Saharan Africa. It feeds on insects and seeds. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the African Jacana
- Its long toes and claws let the African jacana stride across floating leaves and stems that carpet shallow lakes, the habitat it prefers. By staying on the surface of the water it can reach insects and other tiny invertebrates that cling to the vegetation or skim the water. This foraging method lets it exploit food sources unavailable to birds that must stand on solid ground, giving it a niche advantage in its wetland environment.
- African jacanas use a polyandrous system where a single female mates with several males and each male alone raises a brood. This strategy arose because the lakes they inhabit are so rich that the energy a female spends making an egg is almost negligible, and their eggs can be incubated equally well by either sex, making male care the limiting factor.
- Male African jacanas have developed a specialised way to move their young by lifting them under their wings and carrying them. This transport reflects the species' polyandrous breeding system, where males are solely responsible for chick care.
- The African jacana measures between 23 and 31 cm in length, placing it at the larger end of the family. Males weigh between 115 g and 224 g, averaging 137 g, while females range from 167 g to 290 g with an average of 261 g, making the species one of the heaviest jacanas. Together with the similarly-sized Madagascar jacana, it represents the bulkiest members of the group, a distinction noted by ornithologists.
- Female African jacanas are noticeably larger than their male counterparts, with an average weight of 261 g compared with the male average of 137 g. This pronounced dimorphism is reflected across the species' weight ranges of 167-290 g for females and 115-224 g for males.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeSub-Saharan Africa
HabitatFreshwater wetlands
DietInsects and seeds
About the African Jacana
In the lush, vibrant wetlands of sub-Saharan Africa, the African Jacana dances across the surface of the water, its long legs and toes splayed wide as it steps delicately from lily pad to lily pad, its bright chestnut plumage glistening in the sunlight. With an air of quiet confidence, this remarkable bird navigates its intricate network of aquatic highways, its large feet barely making a ripple as it searches for insects and seeds to sustain it. As it moves, its distinctive call echoes through the reeds, a lilting, whistled melody that is a quintessential sound of the African wetlands.
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