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 →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a African Jacana sighting in Serengeti National Park, based on 282 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Serengeti National Park
Lesser Jacana
Microparra capensis
Crowned Lapwing
Vanellus coronatus
Blacksmith Lapwing
Vanellus armatus
Spur-winged Lapwing
Vanellus spinosus
African Wattled Lapwing
Vanellus senegallus
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
Black-winged Lapwing
Vanellus melanopterus
Temminck's Courser
Cursorius temminckii
Double-banded Courser
Rhinoptilus africanus
Little Stint
Calidris minuta
Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus
📅 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 Serengeti National Park?
About 7% of wildlife watchers report a African Jacana sighting in Serengeti National Park, based on 282 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see African Jacana in Serengeti National Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for African Jacana in Serengeti National Park in our monthly data.