Irediparra gallinacea
Silhouette: Burton Robert, USFWS · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The comb-crested jacana (Irediparra gallinacea), also known as the lotusbird or lilytrotter (though these names are sometimes used to describe Jacanidae as a whole), is the only species of jacana in the genus Irediparra. Like other jacana species, it is adapted to the floating vegetation of tropical freshwater wetlands.
This species is unmistakable. It has a black crown and hindneck with a fleshy red wattle covering the forehead and forecrown, contrasting with a white face and throat. The comb is pinker in breeding adults, more orange when not breeding. There is a broad black band on the lower breast with white belly. The underwing and flight feathers, which show most prominently in flight, are black. Back and upperwing mainly grey-brown with black primary coverts, rump and tail. The long legs with extremely long toes trail in flight. The male is slightly smaller than the female and measures 20–22 cm (7.9–8.7 in) in length and weighs 68–84 g (2.4–3.0 oz). The female measures 24–27 cm (9.4–10.6 in) in length and weighs 120–150 g (4.2–5.3 oz). The wingspan ranges from 39 to 46 cm (15 to 18 in).
The bird occurs in south-eastern Borneo... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Comb-crested Jacana sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 1,019 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 186 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May, October and December
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Comb-crested Jacana in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against about 30% in March, the lowest month. February has too few records to rate.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Comb-crested Jacana sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Comb-crested Jacana sightings, Kakadu National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Daintree National Park (Australia, under 5%).
Same order: Charadriiformes
The closest relatives of the Comb-crested Jacana that you can see in Kakadu National Park (order Charadriiformes, Shorebirds and Allies) are Masked Lapwing (about 50%), Whiskered Tern (about 20%) and Bush Stone-curlew (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Comb-crested Jacana is recorded against all the birds logged in Kakadu National Park (1,019 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
