Wattled Jacana

Taxobox
name = Wattled Jacana

---

image_caption = A captive Wattled Jacana
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Charadriiformes
familia = Jacanidae
genus = "Jacana"
species = "J. jacana"
binomial = "Jacana jacana"
binomial_authority = (Linnaeus, 1766)

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.

The jacanas are a group of wetland birds, which are identifiable by their huge feet and claws that enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone.

The Wattled Jacana lays four black-marked brown eggs in a floating nest. The male, as with other jacanas and some other wader families like the phalaropes, takes responsibility for incubation, with two eggs held between each wing and the breast. The females are polyandrous, and will help to defend the nests of up to four mates.

These are conspicuous and unmistakable birds. They are 17-23cm long, but the females are larger than the males. The adults have a chestnut back and wing coverts, with the rest of the body mainly black. In flight the greenish yellow flight feathers are obvious. The yellow bill extends up as a red coot-like head shield and a reddish wattle, and the legs and very long toes are dull blue-grey. There is a long sharp spur on the bend of the wing.

Young birds initially have entirely white underparts, and can always be identified by the presence of white in their plumage.

There are six races, with the nominate "J. j. jacana" being the most widespread. Several of the other subspecies are similar, but "J. j. hypomelaena" of western Panama and northern Colombia has all the chestnut plumage replaced by black, and "J. j. scapularis" of western Ecuador has some black feathers on its chestnut shoulders, and white outer primary feathers.

This species produces a range of noisy rattling calls.

The Wattled Jacana's food is insects, other invertebrates and seeds picked from the floating vegetation or the water’s surface.

Jacana is one Linnæus' pseudo-Latin misspelling for the Brazilian Portuguese "Jaçanã" (from a Tupi name of the same bird) whose pronunciation is approximately [ža.sa.náN] .

References

* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

* "Shorebirds" by Hayman, Marchant and Prater ISBN 0-395-60237-8
* "Birds of Venezuela" by Hilty, ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
*cite book
last = ffrench
first = Richard
title = A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago
edition = 2nd edition
year = 1991
publisher = Comstock Publishing
isbn = 0-8014-9792-2

External links

* [http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=1364 Wattled Jacana videos] on the Internet Bird Collection