Northern Jacana

Adults have a glossy black head, neck, and breast, contrasting with rich chestnut-brown upperparts and wings. A bright yellow frontal shield and bill, and distinctive greenish-yellow wing quills are visible in flight. Juveniles are brownish above with a white supercilium and underparts. Females are noticeably larger than males.

Extremely long toes, bright yellow frontal shield and bill, yellow wing spurs, chestnut body, and contrasting black head and neck.

Length: 17 to 23 cm (6.7 to 9.1 inches); Wingspan: 38 to 43 cm (15 to 17 inches); Weight: 85 to 150 g (3.0 to 5.3 oz), with females being heavier.

Loud, sharp, shrill chatters and scolding notes, often given in series when disturbed or defending territory.

Insects, spiders, small fish, snails, and seeds, picked from floating vegetation or surface water.

Freshwater wetlands, marshes, overgrown ponds, flooded agricultural fields, and slow-moving streams with abundant floating vegetation.

Non-migratory resident throughout most of its range, though some local wandering may occur during extreme dry seasons.

Polyandrous mating system where a single female mates with multiple males. Males build a floating cup nest made of aquatic plants, and the males take sole responsibility for incubating the eggs and rearing the chicks.

Wattled Jacana (Jacana jacana), which has a red frontal shield and wattles instead of yellow and is found further south in South America.

Acts as an indicator species for the health of freshwater wetland ecosystems and helps control insect and small invertebrate populations.

Least Concern, with stable populations though locally threatened by wetland drainage and habitat loss.

Look for them walking gracefully on lily pads and floating vegetation in marshes, swamps, and shallow ponds. They can be quite vocal and bold when defending territory.

Northern Jacanas exhibit polyandry—a rare mating system in birds where one female defends a territory containing multiple males, each of which tends a separate nest.