Microparra capensis
Silhouette: Burton Robert, USFWS · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The lesser jacana (Microparra capensis) is a wader in the family Jacanidae and can be found in Africa. It can be recognized by its long legs and claws that allow it to walk on aquatic vegetation – although it is not to be confused with the larger African Jacana. The lesser jacana is insectivorous. Its conservation status is of least concern.
The name jacana is derived from a Tupi name of the bird, ñaha'nã. The smallest species in the Jacanidae family, the lesser jacana is 15–16 cm (5.9–6.3 in) tall and weighs 41 g (1.4 oz). It has a white breast, golden forehead, cinnamon crown, and dark eyestripe. Its mantle and wings are also darker. As other jacanas, they have long legs and claws which are adapted for walking on lily-pads and aquatic grasses – which is why jacanas are sometimes referred to as lily trotters or Jesus birds because they appear as though they are walking on the surface of the water.
Lesser jacana eggs resemble African jacana eggs but are smaller. African jacana juveniles closely resemble adult lesser jacanas, and the two may be confused as their range overlaps in Southern Africa. In the field, lesser jacanas are reportedly more easily identifiable when... Wikipedia →
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Zambia · 2023
© Dries Van de Loock · XC791510 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 2 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 3 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 4 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 5 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 7 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 8 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kampala | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Jacana sighting in Moremi Game Reserve on a given day, based on 98 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 164th most-seen of the 334 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Jacana in Moremi Game Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in August to October, the lowest months. That is one of Moremi Game Reserve's wettest months, with about 70 mm of rain against almost none in May.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser 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 9 parks where we can rate Lesser Jacana sightings, Moremi Game Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Liwonde National Park (Malawi, about 10%) and Kafue National Park (Zambia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Jacana is recorded against all the birds logged in Moremi Game Reserve (98 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.
