Northern Jacana

Yellow Jacana ( Jacana spinosa)

The Yellow Jacana ( Jacana spinosa ) is an American bird of the order Charadriiformes ( Charadriiformes ).

Features

The plumage of the 23 cm long yellow forehead leaf chicken is on the head and neck black, dark brown on the wing upper sides and back and pale green on the wing undersides or yellow. The beak and the soft, fleshy face shield are yellow and stained legs and long toes. In flight, the bright yellow spots are seen on the lower wing surface. This bird, like all species of the genus Jacana each a short, sharp spur on each wing.

Occurrence

The Yellow Jacana lives in vegetated with floating plants inland waters in Texas, Arizona, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

Way of life

With its long toes the yellow Jacana runs lily-pad to catch insects, snails and other small invertebrates. This bird swims reluctant and often wading through the shallow water. It flies only occasionally and leaves the legs hang.

The Yellow Jacana operates simultaneous polyandry. That is a female mates with up to four males that hatch four black - speckled brown eggs in a floating nest and feed the young. The female leaves her partner does not, but holding to each a bond upright.