Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – The African Jacana

Kloof Conservancy

THE African Jacana like very slow-moving water and largish ponds or pans, so they are not common in the Upper Highway. They have been recorded on the wetlands and are sometimes referred to as ‘Jesus birds’ as they appear to walk on water. They actually walk on the large leaves of water-lilies but from a distance they appear to be just treading lightly on the surface of the water.

They are a photographer’s delight as they are very photogenic and, once you have spotted them in a wetland, they tend to be gentle, slow movers unlike many other bird species that never stand still.

Description
They stand about 31cm off the ground, weigh up to 2.6kg and the female is larger than the male. Their weight is somewhat surprising given their long spindly legs. The males and females are very similar in colouring, which is very attractive. They have rich-chestnut brown back, rump, tail and wing feathers, yellow-orange breast feathers, a white neck front and the back of the neck is black and is glossy in sunlight. To add to the colourful make-up, they have very characteristic blue-grey bills and dark brown eyes. They have rather long legs, relative to their body size, and their toes appear disproportionally long and this gave rise to their Afrikaans name, Grootlangtoon.

ALSO READ: Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – African Hoopoe

Habitat
They rely heavily on the existence of lagoons, pans, ponds, swamps and marshes where there are water lilies as they spend large amounts of time on the large floating leaves. They are mostly resident but will move to search for new wetlands when necessary.

Distribution
They are found throughout Southern Africa, with the exception of the dry western parts. They are plentiful in isiMangaliso Wetland Park, Kruger Park and the Chobe area in Botswana.

Behaviour
As they spend much time on top of the water, or wading in the shallows, these birds are not great flyers but are excellent divers. They rely on their very powerful hearing and sense of smell to find their prey. They are quite sociable and can often be spotted in groups in wetlands.

Diet
They feed mainly on insects such as beetles, dragonflies, flies, larvae and bees. They will also take small fish and crustaceans and occasionally even feed on plant matter.

Breeding
The African Jacana are polyandrous with the female sequentially choosing multiple mates in one season. This results in much squabbling between the males before the mating season. The nest is usually built by the male on shallow water and consists of a partially submerged pad of vegetation that, in deeper water, may take the form of a floating raft of vegetation.

ALSO READ: Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – Hadeda Ibis

A female can lay up to 10 clutches of eggs each season. Once the eggs are laid, the male incubates them for up to 27 days after which he takes care of the chicks and often carries them under his wing to keep them dry.

Communication
While feeding they are very elegant and quiet but, if they sense danger, they can become exceedingly noisy and make a range of high-pitched screeches and yapping noises. Threats Eggs and chicks are taken by leguaans (water monitors), otters and even hippopotamus. The loss of eggs in particular is high and that is why the females lay so many clutches each season. They are also threatened by human destruction of wetlands.

Interesting facts
While the male does the incubating and the care of the chicks, the female protects the territory.

Visit www.kloofconservancy.org.za or follow the NPO on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KloofConservancy

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At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.

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