Lesser Jacana (Microparra capensis)

Other Names (World)
Lesser Jacana, Lesser African Jacana, Lesser Lily-trotter

Family
Jacanidae (Jacanas)

Size
17 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Smith, 1839)

Habitat
Prefers shallow water around the edges of permanent and seasonally flooded wetlands, with areas of sparse sedge, aquatic grasses and stands of floating vegetation.

Range (Guide)

Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], C�te dIvoire, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania [United Republic of], Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Vagrant to Ethiopia, Mauritania, Sierra Leone.

Mali to Sudan and Ethiopia, then south through Uganda and Kenya to Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and eastern South Africa, extending west to eastern Angola and eastern Namibia.

Population
Estimated population is 25,000 - 100,000 (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Predominantly insects. Also small pieces of aquatic vegetation and seeds.

Voice
Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (1)...)

Lesser Jacana (Microparra capensis) [XC791508]
by Dries Van de Loock from Mwekera Dam, Copperbelt Province, Zambia (call)

Lesser Jacana (Microparra capensis) [XC791510]
by id from Mwekera Dam, Copperbelt Province, Zambia (call, song)

Nest
A small floating platform of aquatic vegetation positioned on shallow water.

Subspecies
Species considered to represent a neotenic form of African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus).

No subspecies.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Lesser Jacana (Microparra capensis) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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