bright yellow bill; red facial shield; long legs and toes (Brazil; 2007-11-09)


Wattled Jacana
Jacana jacana

Native Range: South America

Notes: jacanas are conspicuous, noisy birds with very long toes that help them walk across lilypads in vegetation-choked ponds; they also have a sharp spur (function uncertain) on the carpal joint of the wing; jacanas are famous for being polyandrous, meaning that each female may mate with several males, after which each male incubates a separate clutch of eggs; the nest is usually located in floating vegetation; the Wattled Jacana formerly was considered conspecific with the Northern Jacana.

dorsal view; black head, neck; cinnamon wings, back (Brazil; 2007-11-09)
walks easily on floating vegetation (Brazil; 2007-11-09)

in flight shows yellow on wings; note also wing spur (Brazil; 2007-11-09)
bold plumage pattern and legs trailing in flight (Brazil; 2007-11-09)

posing for a portrait (Zoo; 2008-10-21)