African Jacana Actophilornis africanus Scientific name definitions

23–31 cm; male 115–224 g, female 167–290 g. Bill continuous with large frontal shield , both pale blue to grey-blue; rest of crown and hindneck black; sides of face, chin and throat white changing to golden-yellow on upper breast; most of upperparts chestnut to rufous-cinnamon, but rump , secondaries and underbody darker maroon-chestnut; primaries black, but seen only during flight or display. Female similar to male, but larger. Immature has crown and hindneck blackish with some brown feathers; supercilium white, upperparts pale brown with glossy green, except chestnut rump, secondaries and greater coverts; underparts white with weak yellowish breastband and chestnut on side of thighs.

Wetlands throughout sub-Saharan Africa; largely absent from forest belts and arid zones.

Permanent and seasonally flooded shallow freshwater wetlands, especially swamps and backwaters of slow-flowing rivers, but also artificial dam lakes (1 Claffey, P. (1999). Dams as new habitat in West African savannah. Bull. Afr. Bird Club. 6(2): 116–120. Close , 2 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2006). The Birds of Malawi: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ) and farmbush ponds (3 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2014). The Birds of Ghana: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press, Liège, Belgium. Close ). Restricted to floating vegetation especially water-lilies, and floating-emergent vegetation, e.g. water-lettuce, water-hyacinth, Salvinia and Elodea, which provides more cover but does not appear to reduce predation. Occurs over deeper water with less emergent vegetation than extensively sympatric Microparra capensis. Seeks shelter in taller emergent vegetation near shore (e.g. sedges and Papyrus), but does not use this for nesting. In Sierra Leone, during dry season, sometimes wanders onto river sandbanks, or even shallow streams with wooded banks. Recorded to 2000 m in Ethiopia (4 Ash, J. S., and J. Atkins (2009). Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea: An Atlas of Distribution. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and Uganda (5 Carswell, M., D. Pomeroy, J. Reynolds, and H. Tushabe (2005). The Bird Atlas of Uganda. British Ornithologists’ Club and British Ornithologists' Union, Oxford, UK. Close ), and to 1800 m in Zambia (6 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ).

Not migratory, but extremely nomadic, often in connection with changing water levels, moving along rivers (including in forested areas) in flocks of up to 30–60 birds (7 Gatter, W. (1997). Birds of Liberia. Pica Press, Aula-Verlag and Yale University Press, Robertsbridge, UK; Wiesbaden, Germany; and New Haven, CT, USA. Close , 4 Ash, J. S., and J. Atkins (2009). Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea: An Atlas of Distribution. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 3 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2014). The Birds of Ghana: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press, Liège, Belgium. Close ); in wet years, birds may show up on pans from which species has been absent for several years. Birds may apparently move as much as several hundred kilometres (to waterless parts of Namibia, as well as NW Somalia (8 Ash, J. S., and J. E. Miskell (1998). Birds of Somalia. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ), with the first record in Eritrea coming from an island in Red Sea) (9 Chiozzi, G., De Marchi, G. and Semere, D. (2012). Additions to the avifauna of Eritrea and further records of rare species. Bull. African Bird Club. 19(2): 189–193. Close ), although the only distances specifically recorded (of up to 230 km) appear to come from Zambia (6 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ), but non-breeders inconspicuous, so pattern of movements remains poorly known.

Mainly insects (e.g. dipterans) and worms, but also other arthropods, including spiders and crustaceans, and molluscs (probably Bolinus, Biomphalaria, Lymnaea and gelatinous egg masses); seeds sometimes taken. Prey typically gleaned from surface of vegetation or water; also from roots of floating vegetation turned upside-down by feeding jacanas, undersurfaces of lily leaves and climbs on backs of hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibius) in search of flies and organic debris (10 Sazima, I. (2011). Cleaner birds: a worldwide overview. Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia 19(1): 32–47. Close ). Will also catch flies and other flying insects, and once observed foraging behind a slow-moving large tortoise (4 Ash, J. S., and J. Atkins (2009). Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea: An Atlas of Distribution. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Noisy, with strident and varied calls, with a rattling screech given on take-off, which becomes “kaaaa kaaka-ka” as bird settles again; also loud scolding and churring notes, with piercing shrieks during combat, quieter moans and a grating “kyowrrr kyowrrr”, while male with young utters a loud, complaining, high-frequency trill, e.g. “aaaaa’a’a’a’a’a’a’a’a’a’a ggh”, which slows and falls, and contact call of chick is similar, but uttered at even greater frequency and recalls trill of some bee-eaters (Merops).

Breeds year-round in suitable permanent wetlands, but seasonally in seasonally flooded areas; most nests apparently Oct–Nov in Sierra Leone; Jan and Jul–Oct in N Ghana and Mar–Oct in S (3 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2014). The Birds of Ghana: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press, Liège, Belgium. Close ); mainly Jun–Sept (Apr–Jan) in Nigeria; Apr–Nov in Ethiopia (4 Ash, J. S., and J. Atkins (2009). Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea: An Atlas of Distribution. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); Aug–Sept in S Somalia (8 Ash, J. S., and J. E. Miskell (1998). Birds of Somalia. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ); virtually all months, but mostly Feb–Aug in Uganda (5 Carswell, M., D. Pomeroy, J. Reynolds, and H. Tushabe (2005). The Bird Atlas of Uganda. British Ornithologists’ Club and British Ornithologists' Union, Oxford, UK. Close ); all months, but mainly Jan–Apr in Zambia (6 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ); practically all months in Malawi (except Jan) (2 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2006). The Birds of Malawi: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ) and Zimbabwe, with peak Jan–Mar in latter; Nov–Jul in South Africa. Polyandrous, but strategy highly variable and monogamy recorded; males hold nesting, breeding, feeding and chick-rearing territories, while females, one to several adjacent males, hold their territories against other females; some males sequentially polygynous, because new females keep replacing their former mates. Sexual role reversal essentially complete, with male apparently performing most nestbuilding, all incubation and all care of precocial young. Cloacal contact occurs in only a small proportion of initiated courtship inter­actions. Nest is flimsy, mostly submerged pad of aquatic vegetation (e.g. Nymphaea, Potamogeton, Macrophyllum, Polygonum), extending to 2 cm above water surface; over deeper water, nest often placed on small floating islands; eggs sometimes laid on floating vegetation with no nest. Determinate layer, four (range 2–5) (2 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2006). The Birds of Malawi: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ) eggs laid c. 24 hours apart, in early morning, pale brown to tan-yellow with dark brown markings, size 30·5–37·4 mm × 21·5–24·8 mm; male begins incubation after laying of third egg, period c. 20–26 days; nest attentiveness varies with weather and temperature, but averages 52% in Transvaal; incubation much reduced during warm, sunny parts of day, when male may spend more time shading eggs than incubating them; sometimes carries eggs under wings to new nest-site (see Family Text); male celibate during incubation and for at least first several weeks of chick care. Female will lay replacement clutches, or clutches for additional males, every four days to three weeks (average c. 9 days). Downy chicks white below, with light and dark brownish striping above; young not fed by male, but he points out food to very young chicks, and accompanies chicks while they feed ; broods chicks under wings, and may pick them up and carry them under wings, as in other jacanas; young birds stay with male 40–70 days, fledging at c. 35 days; attain full adult plumage at c. 1 year, but age of first breeding unknown. Nest success very low, from 0% some years, to almost 50% in exceptionally good conditions, but averages c. 26%; brood survival much higher, up to c. 90%. Lifespan not well known, but one bird was nine years old (6 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Generally common to abundant throughout most of extensive range, but no overall population estimate and few regional estimates, but 25,000–50,000 individuals in Mali (11 Girard, O., Niagaté, B., Thal, J. and Boutin, J.M. (2009). Les limicoles au Mali, en particulier dans le Delta interieur du Niger. Malimbus. 31(1): 1–19. Close ). Abundant on shallow freshwater wetlands in Sierra Leone, and also in Ghana and Nigeria, except in brackish swamps along coast, where less common; appears to have been very rare in Liberia prior to 1940s but is now common throughout (7 Gatter, W. (1997). Birds of Liberia. Pica Press, Aula-Verlag and Yale University Press, Robertsbridge, UK; Wiesbaden, Germany; and New Haven, CT, USA. Close ); common in Gambia and Malawi (where concentration of 1000 individuals at single locality recorded) (2 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2006). The Birds of Malawi: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ), on Zanzibar and Pemba, and locally in South Africa; considered very common in Ethiopia (4 Ash, J. S., and J. Atkins (2009). Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea: An Atlas of Distribution. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and Zambia (6 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ). May be locally threatened by habitat loss or deterioration through flooding of shallow wetlands for hydro-electric projects, draining of wetlands, or overgrazing; but, particularly in southern parts of its range, creation of stock watering ponds and small reservoirs has substantially increased amount of suitable habitat available. Introduced coypu (Myocastor coypus) destroyed water-lily habitat on L Naivasha, Kenya, during late 1970s, but present species switched to nesting on less stable mats of the exotic waterfern Salvinia.