Comb-crested Jacana

Jacana is Linnæus' pseudo-Latin misspelling for the Brazilian Portuguese Jaçanã whose pronunciation is approximately .

The Comb-crested Jacana is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

Comb-crested Jacana on nest. Comb-crested Jacana on nest. Photo: G Threlfo © Australian Museum Comb-crested Jacana. Comb-crested Jacana. Photo: G Threlfo © Australian Museum Comb-crested Jacana chick. Comb-crested Jacana chick. More

The Comb-crested Jacana is polyandrous. It builds a flimsy nest on floating or emergent vegetation, in which the female lays four lustrous, pale brown eggs covered by black markings. Only males incubate. The young hatch well-developed and soon leave the nest. References - * BirdLife International. (2006). Species factsheet: Irediparra gallinacea. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife. More

In the Top End, Comb-Crested Jacanas breed late in the wet season, in the season that the Bininj/Mungguy people call Gudjewg. The males build small nests of leaf scraps on top of the floating water-lily leaves. A clutch of four small eggs is laid, these having markings that camouflage them to resemble the nesting material. The biggest threat to survival occurs at the egg stage. The hatching rate is very low with many eggs being lost (mainly to predators). More

Comb-crested Jacana (Irediparra gallinacea), adult walking on lilypad, Yellow Water, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia CombCrestedJacana_2507 = - Comb-crested Jacana (Irediparra gallinacea), adult walking on lilypad, Yellow Water, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia Image Request = Image Number: Image Name: Your name: * Your company: Your e-mail address: More

The Comb-crested Jacana or Lotusbird is a waterbird with long legs and extremely long toes that enable it to walk on the leaves of floating plants. It is brown above with white face and front of neck. The back of the neck is black extending into a black band round the belly. The rest of the underside is white. It has red bill with black tip and pink comb on forehead. More

Balanced by long toes and oversize feet, the Comb-crested Jacana is well known for its ability to 'walk on water', as it searches for food amongst the lily pads. More

The Comb-crested Jacana is polyandrous. It builds a flimsy nest on floating or emergent vegetation, in which the female lays four lustrous, pale brown eggs covered by black markings. Only males incubate. The young hatch well-developed and soon leave the nest. More

The Comb-crested Jacana is small (up to 25 cm long), with huge toes - its feet are virtually as long as its entire body - to walk on floating vegetation. Brown above, it has a white face and throat and belly, separated by a broad dark breast-band, with a big red forehead comb and red bill. It is a busy and unmistakable walker on lily pads and other floating vegetation. Its strident chittery call is also distinctive. More