Microparra capensis
Silhouette: Burton Robert, USFWS · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Jacana sighting in Murchison Falls National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 341st most-seen of the 424 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Jacana in Murchison Falls National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months.
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.
7th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Lesser Jacana sightings, Murchison Falls National Park ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Moremi Game Reserve (Botswana, about 10%), 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 Murchison Falls National Park (13 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.
