Blue-fronted Jacana

Blue-fronted Jacana

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The Blue-fronted Jacana(Actophilornis africanus) belongs to the small family of Jacanas (Jacanidae) to which only 8 species belong. It is found throughout Africa.

The Blue-fronted Jacana grows to between 23 cm and 31 cm and can reach a body weight of 261 g. The females are significantly larger. The females are significantly larger and up to twice as heavy as the males. Most of the plumage is dark brown in colour. Only the head and neck are coloured white on the sides and towards the front and black towards the back. The beak and the head shield, to which the blue-fronted partridge owes its name, are light blue in colour. Its most striking feature, however, are the extremely elongated toes and claws on the feet, which are characteristic of the family of the blue-fronted partridge. This enables them to stand and walk on floating plants such as water lilies.

Blue-fronted Jacanas live in shallow freshwater wetlands with aquatic vegetation such as lakes, ponds, swamps, slow-flowing rivers and rice paddies. On these floating plants they search for their food, which consists mainly of invertebrates such as insects, spiders, crabs, worms and mussels. Sometimes they also turn over water lily leaves to search for prey on the side facing the water or pick insects directly from the water surface. Rarely, blue-fronted waterhen supplement their diet with seeds from shore plants.

The breeding season of the blue-fronted partridge is usually between March and November, but mainly depends on the occurrence of wetlands. Unusually, unlike most other bird species, the male is responsible for nest building, brooding and rearing the young. The females keep a harem of several males and protect their territory from other females. The gender roles are therefore completely reversed in the blue-fronted partridge. The nest is built by the male on various floating plants. The female always lays 4 eggs in it, which are incubated by the male for up to 26 days. The hatched chicks need between 40 and 70 days to fledge. During this time, the male takes care of the young and, just like other species of leafhen, is able to hide the young under its wings and carry them around.

The population of the blue-fronted partridge is currently not endangered. The greatest threat is the flooding or drying out of wetlands for agriculture.