- Microparra capensis
Identification
15–16 cm Much smaller than African Jacana
- White underparts and eyebrow
- Pale buffy-greyish brown upperparts
Distribution
Sub-Saharan Africa:
Western Africa: Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
River floodplains, lagoons sewerage works and bays in wetlands with emergent grass and sedge.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of insects, with the occasional addition of aquatic vegetation.
Breeding
Both adults incubate the eggs and care for the chicks.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved March 2015)
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Lesser Jacana. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Lesser_Jacana