African Jacana
African JacanaAfrican JacanaAfrican JacanaAfrican Jacana

African Jacana

Actophilornis africanus

Silhouette: Burton Robert, USFWS · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Lower Zambezi National Park
131 Verified sightings at Lower Zambezi National Park From 2019 to 2026
15,754 Verified sightings across all 49 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the 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.

The African jacana was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it in the genus Parra and coined the binomial name Parra africana. Gmelin based his description on that by the English ornithologist John Latham who in 1785 had described and illustrated the species in his A General Synopsis of Birds. Gmelin and Latham gave the locality as "Africa": this was restricted to Ethiopia in 1915. The African jacana is now placed in the genus Actophilornis that was introduced in 1925 by the American ornithologist Harry C. Oberholser. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek aktē meaning "river bank" or "coastal strand", -philos meaning "-loving" and ornis meaning "bird".

The species is considered to be monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Lower Zambezi National Park

Lesser Jacana
LC

Lesser Jacana

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Microparra capensis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
White-headed Lapwing
LC

White-headed Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus albiceps

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Black-winged Stilt
LC

Black-winged Stilt

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Himantopus himantopus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Water Thick-knee
LC

Water Thick-knee

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Burhinus vermiculatus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Blacksmith Lapwing
LC

Blacksmith Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus armatus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Common Sandpiper
LC

Common Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Actitis hypoleucos

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Wood Sandpiper
LC

Wood Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa glareola

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Crowned Lapwing
LC

Crowned Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus coronatus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Common Greenshank
LC

Common Greenshank

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa nebularia

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Long-toed Lapwing
LC

Long-toed Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus crassirostris

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
African Skimmer
LC

African Skimmer

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rynchops flavirostris

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Three-banded Courser
LC

Three-banded Courser

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Rhinoptilus cinctus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~70%
2 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~70%
3 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~70%
4 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~60%
5 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~60%
6 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~50%
7 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~50%
8 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~50%
9 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~50%
10 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~50%
11 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~40%
12 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~40%
13 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~40%
14 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~30%
15 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
16 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~30%
17 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~30%
18 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
19 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
20 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
21 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
22 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
~20%
23 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~20%
24 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
25 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
26 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
27 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
28 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
29 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
30 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
31 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
32 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
33 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
34 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~10%
35 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
36 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
37 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
38 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
39 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
40 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
41 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
42 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
43 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
44 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
45 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
46 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
47 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
Insufficient data
48 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
49 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a African Jacana in Lower Zambezi National Park?

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a African Jacana sighting in Lower Zambezi National Park, based on 131 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see African Jacana in Lower Zambezi National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for African Jacana in Lower Zambezi National Park in our monthly data.

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