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 →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a African Jacana sighting in Meru National Park, based on 5 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Meru National Park
Crowned Lapwing
Vanellus coronatus
Spur-winged Lapwing
Vanellus spinosus
Black-headed Lapwing
Vanellus tectus
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropus
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
Three-banded Courser
Rhinoptilus cinctus
Temminck's Courser
Cursorius temminckii
Water Thick-knee
Burhinus vermiculatus
Senegal Lapwing
Vanellus lugubris
Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus
Blacksmith Lapwing
Vanellus armatus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ 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
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a African Jacana in Meru National Park?
About 4% of wildlife watchers report a African Jacana sighting in Meru National Park, based on 5 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see African Jacana in Meru National Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for African Jacana in Meru National Park in our monthly data.