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 →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a African Jacana sighting in Niokolo-Koba National Park, based on 60 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Niokolo-Koba National Park
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Spur-winged Lapwing
Vanellus spinosus
Egyptian Plover
Pluvianus aegyptius
African Wattled Lapwing
Vanellus senegallus
Senegal Thick-knee
Burhinus senegalensis
White-headed Lapwing
Vanellus albiceps
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropus
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
Greater Painted-Snipe
Rostratula benghalensis
Black-headed Lapwing
Vanellus tectus
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
Common Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticula
📅 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 Niokolo-Koba National Park?
About 19% of wildlife watchers report a African Jacana sighting in Niokolo-Koba National Park, based on 60 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see African Jacana in Niokolo-Koba National Park?
September has the highest sighting rate for African Jacana in Niokolo-Koba National Park in our monthly data.