Meet the jacanas, a family of wading birds that are spread across Asia, Africa, South and Central America, and Australia.
But back to the issue at hand: what’s with all those feet?
Jacanas are unusual birds in that the females are typically larger than the males and the males are responsible for brooding the eggs. They do it by nestling the eggs between their wings, hugging them close to their body for warmth.
Once the eggs are hatched, the chicks are born into a dangerous world – skipping across lily pads all day means they’re exposed to whatever is lurking beneath, which, if you’re an African jacana, means crocodiles. Upon sensing danger, the parent bird – usually the male – will signal to its chicks to assume position under its wings, and whisk them away, legs dangling in rather ridiculous fashion:
Image credit: Dasari. Vijay/Wikimedia
Jacanas are unusual birds in that the females are typically larger than the males and the males are responsible for brooding the eggs. They do it by nestling the eggs between their wings, hugging them close to their body for warmth.
Once the eggs are hatched, the chicks are born into a dangerous world – skipping across lily pads all day means they’re exposed to whatever is lurking beneath, which, if you’re an African jacana, means crocodiles. Upon sensing danger, the parent bird – usually the male – will signal to its chicks to assume position under its wings, and whisk them away, legs dangling in rather ridiculous fashion:
Image credit: Dasari. Vijay/Wikimedia
Advertisements
08 February 2022
Advertisements
