Wattled Jacana
Jacana jacana

It is almost impossible to take a trip through the neotropics without finding Jacanas- they seem to line the roads and fields of anything resembling a wetland. Wattled Jacanas are perfectly designed to walk the lilypads in marshy areas; their clown-sized feet provide solid support for their slender bodies. The individual below was filmed at the Ammo Dump Ponds in Gamboa, Panama, in September 2004.  


The clown feet of a Wattled Jacana.

I got another thrill at these same ponds when we enjoyed a relatively close-range look at a foraging Capybara, the world's largest rodent. A pair of Wattled Jacanas were taking a ride on the Capybara's back, probably partaking in a symbiotic relationship, as they remove potentially irritating aquatic life from the body of the larger mammal.  


A Wattled Jacana hitching a ride on a Capybara.

I may be adding photos of Wattled Jacanas after every trip to Panama; the image below was collected in July of 2005, again at the Ammo Dump Ponds.  


Another nice look at a Wattled Jacana.

Elsewhere on this site: Birds of Panama 2, 2004.
Birds of Panama, 2005.

Return to Bird Species Index

Copyright© Ken Allaire. All rights reserved. Reproduction, modification, or republication of the images or content contained herein without authorization for any purpose or to produce any product is a violation of the copyright herein and is strictly prohibited.