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ABOUT THIS SPECIES

NORTHERN JACANA – (Species Account Blog #60)

TAXONOMIC TREE:  

• ORDER: Charadriiformes,
• FAMILY: Jacanidae,
• BINOMIAL NAME: Jacana spinosa

The Northern Jacana is a medium-sized wading bird with long legs and toes that are well-suited for walking on floating vegetation. It has a dark brown body with a black head and neck. In addition its bill has yellow patches and its forehead has a yellow wattle. Its bill has a white base. When a jacana is in flight, its yellowish-green primary and secondary feathers are visible.(from Birds of the World)

SIMILAR SPECIES

In adults, yellow 3-lobed frontal shield and pale-bluish or greenish-white base of upper mandible distinguishes Northern Jacana from Wattled Jacana, which has red 2-lobed shield and prominent rictal or wattles at either side of gape (lacking on Northern Jacana).

DISTRIBUTION

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PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES

A very distinctive looking shorebird with enormously long toes and a gorgeous chestnut body. I have seen many of these in the Yucatan, Belize and Guatemala. In Costa Rica we saw them first along the Tárcoles River, and again at the Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat near Sarapiqui.

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PHOTO GALLERY

**Some of these Photo Gallery images (all taken by me) have been taken in other nearby countries.

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RECENT BLOG POSTS

View the five most recent Birds & Birding in Costa Rica series blog posts below.

• A Streak-headed Woodcreeper Feeds its Offspring Near the Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica
• PALE-BILLED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• SMOKY-BROWN WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• HOFFMANN’S WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• BLACK-CHEEKED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding