Comb-crested Jacana

Irediparra gallinacea

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Quick facts

Size: Females average 26 cm including tail, 130 g; males are smaller.

Range and lifestyle: They inhabit dams and lagoons with an abundance of floating vegetation. Range is restricted to the coastal regions of north and east Australia.

Food: Aquatic invertebrates and seeds of aquatic plants.

Breeding: Females may have up to 3 partners, but males alone build a nest on the floating vegetation, incubate the eggs (usually 4) and care for the young.

Comb-crested Jacanas have a characteristic large red frontal shield.
They prefer floating vegetation in the wetlands, especially water-lily leaves so they are able to walk with ease at the surface of the water using their exceptionally long toes.
The downy young hatch able to walk and soon leave the nest. They already have long toes at birth.
If threatened, protective behaviour includes a unique ability to carry the young under their wings to a safer place, with their youngsters' feet often protruding.
They can make a variety of calls, twittering and piping sounds, often in flight or in upright pose, and possibly in defence of their territory.
They are sometimes referred to as Lotusbirds or Lilytrotters.