African Jacana (Actophilornis africana)

April 15, 2010 | Posted by Safari Guide

As its many common names ‘Lily-trotter’, ‘Lotus Birds’, ‘Jesus Birds’ indicate, the African Jacana (Actophilornis africana) is highly specialised for life on floating vegetation, and despite its extraordinarily long toes it has a certain grace. The large splayed feet which effectively distribute the bird’s weight over a wide area are excellently adapted to running over a yielding mass of water-plants. The Jacana is a tropical bird whose distribution is limited by the availability of suitable waterplants. This is also reflected in the Jacanas genus name of Actophilornis which means “shore-loving bird”.

African Jacanas are good divers and strong flyers. They squawk during flight and carry a pitch that resembles a loud, mournful, whining sound. The bright blue shiny covering on top of the bill and up the forehead is known as a frontal shield.

One Leg
It is quite common to see a Jacana (and other water birds) standing on one leg, with the other tucked up under their body. Most people would assume that they are just resting one leg, but it is actually thought, as it most often happens on colder days that they are keeping the uncovered leg warm.

Their essential dependence on water vegetation is reflected in its nesting habits. On some sheltered backwater, using a platform of emergent vegetation as a base, it builds a small floating nest by drawing plants together. Chicks hatched on this precarious structure must, perforce, be precocious to survive and immediately take to water and walk freely on the vegetation. However when in danger or moving greater distances and the chicks are still young, the male African Jacana will carry a few under each wing to get the chicks to safety. This only happens until they are about 2-3 weeks old and by then only one chick can be carried at a time.

Breeding
Polygamy is not uncommon among birds but polyandry is rare indeed. By its very nature it can only take place in areas where food is abundant and the jacana, living as it does in the tropical mashlands of southern Africa, is ideally placed for this activity. Here the female takes her mates one at a time and then leaves them to incubate and rear the nestlings while she flies off to find her next suitor and breed again. The fathers apear to adapt well to this apparent reversal of the traditional male/female roles and have been known to carry the chicks under their wings to safety when a predator is about.

Snakes, otters, water mongooses and many other birds will all eat the African Jacana’s eggs. Since African Jacana’s eggs and young chicks are often preyed upon, the survival of this species is largely dependent on the mother’s ability to lay several clutches of eggs in one season and that is probably why it has evolved for the male to stay back and look after the eggs and chicks, whilst the female goes off to find another mate.

The female African Jacana defends a large territory which contain the smaller nesting territories of the males. It is also not uncommon for the female to kill the chicks produced by other females when she takes over a new territory (Infanticide).

The eggs are distinctive, being remarkably glossy, pear -shaped and profusely marked with lines and scrolls of black on a yellowish ground.

Food
The African Jacana eats insects and other invertebrates picked from the floating vegetation or the water’s surface, they will also flip over lilly-pads to get at larvae underneath. They will also forage along the shoreline and I have seen them digging in elephant dung for insects.

Jacana Family
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.

For more information: African Birds

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