African Jacana
Actophilornis africanus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyJacanidae (Jacanas)
- GenusActophilornis (African and Madagascar Jacanas)
- SpeciesActophilornis africanus (African Jacana)
The African jacana (Actophilornis africanus) is a wader in the family Jacanidae. It has long toes and long claws that enable it to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes, its preferred habitat. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. For the origin and pronunciation of the name, see Jacanidae. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Semuliki National Park
Spur-winged Lapwing
Vanellus spinosus
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
Little Stint
Calidris minuta
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropus
Greater Painted-Snipe
Rostratula benghalensis
Marsh Sandpiper
Tringa stagnatilis
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
Ruff
Calidris pugnax
Temminck's Stint
Calidris temminckii
Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus
Long-toed Lapwing
Vanellus crassirostris
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of African Jacana at Semuliki National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there