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 Namib-Naukluft National Park
Dominican Gull
Larus dominicanus
Hartlaub's Gull
Chroicocephalus hartlaubii
Pied Avocet
Recurvirostra avosetta
Black-bellied Plover
Pluvialis squatarola
Crested Tern
Thalasseus bergii
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferruginea
Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Sanderling
Calidris alba
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Little Stint
Calidris minuta
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of African Jacana at Namib-Naukluft 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