Wattled Jacana
Jacana jacana
Nicknamed 'Jesus birds,' their exceptionally long toes distribute their weight so effectively they can walk across lily pads without sinking.
- Scientific name
- Jacana jacana
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Charadriiformes › Jacanidae › Jacana
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Freshwater wetlands, marshes, and lake edges with abundant floating vegetation like water lilies.
- Diet
- Insects, small invertebrates found on floating plants, and occasionally aquatic plant seeds.
- Range
- Panama, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Trinidad
- Size
- 17-25 cm in length with a 30-40 cm wingspan
- Lifespan
- 5-10 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Wetland drainage for agriculture, water pollution, and loss of floating vegetation mats.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless but vocal. Maintain a distance of at least 10 meters to avoid disturbing nesting sites or causing the bird to abandon its forage. They pose no physical threat to humans, though they may dive or cry out if you are too close.
The wattled jacana ( Jacana jacana ) is a wader which is a resident breeder from western Panama and Trinidad south through most of South America east of the Andes.
Photo: Anthony Batista, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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