Comb-crested Jacana - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by creaturesnapper
Sandy Camp Reserve, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, September 2017

Irediparra gallinacea

Identification

Juvenile
Photo © by tcollins
Fogg Dam, Northern Territory, Australia, May 2008

21-24 cm (8¼-9½ in) female smaller than male

• Black crown and hindneck
• Red wattle covers the forehead and forecrown
• White face and throat
• Black band on lower breast
• White belly
• Black underwing
• Brown mantle, back and upperwing-coverts
• Black rump and tail
• Long legs

Distribution

Southeast Asia: Indochina, Malaysia, Philippines, Borneo, Indonesia, Greater Sundas, Sulawesi, Lesser Sundas, West Timor, Moluccas, Tanimbar Islands and Papuan Islands
Australasia: New Guinea, Australia: New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia and Melanesia.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Hatchlings
Photo © by Ken Doy
Sandy Camp Road Wetlands, Brisbane, Queensland, January 2016

There are 3 subspecies¹:

• I. g. gallinacea:

• Southern Borneo, Sulawesi, Mindanao, Moluccas and Lesser Sundas

• I. g. novaeguinae:

• Northern and central New Guinea, Misool Island and Aru Islands

• I. g. novaehollandiae:

• Southern New Guinea, D'Entrecasteaux Archaepelago and northern and eastern Australia

Habitat

Swamps and marshes, freshwater wetlands with floating vegetation.

Behaviour

Sometimes called the Jesus bird because it appears to walk on water. They actually walk on lily pads. The red flash on the head is skin and is brightest during breeding.

Diet

Their diet consists mostly of aquatic insects and invertebrates, also seeds. They feed by walking on lily pads and glean from the leaves or under the surface of the water.

Photo © by Ken Doy
Minnippi Parklands, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
30 September 2019

Breeding

The nest is built on floating vegetation; 4 pale brown, black marked eggs are laid and incubated by the male.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved January 2016)
4. Beauty of Birds

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Comb-crested Jacana. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Comb-crested_Jacana

External Links

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