Jacanidae

Last updated

Jacanas
Temporal range: Oligocene to recent
Irediparra gallinacea - Comb-crested Jacana.jpg
Comb-crested jacana (Irediparra gallinacea)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Suborder: Scolopaci
Family: Jacanidae
Chenu & des Murs, 1854
Type genus
Jacana
Genera
Synonyms

Parridae

The jacanas (sometimes referred to as Jesus birds or lily trotters) are a group of tropical waders in the family Jacanidae. They are found in the tropical regions around the world. They are noted for their elongated toes and toenails that allow them to spread out their weight while foraging on floating or semi-emergent aquatic vegetation. They are also among the somewhat rare groups of birds in which females are larger, and several species maintain harems of males in the breeding season with males solely responsible for incubating eggs and taking care of the chicks.

Contents

Taxonomy

The family Jacanidae was introduced in 1854 by the French naturalists Jean-Charles Chenu and Marc des Murs. They used the spelling "Jacaneinae". [1] [2] The modern spelling "Jacanidae" was used by Leonhard Stejneger in 1885. [3]

The pronunciation of the word jacana is debated. Jacana is Linnæus' scientific Latin spelling of the Portuguese jaçanã which in turn is derived from a Tupi name of the bird, ñaha'nã. [4] The Portuguese word is pronounced approximately [ʒɐsɐˈnɐ̃] . As in façade, Provençal, and araçari, the Ç is meant to be pronounced as an S. US dictionaries give various pronunciations: /ˌʒɑːsəˈnɑː/ ZHAH-sə-NAH, [5] [6] /ˌɑːsəˈnɑː/ JAH-sə-NAH, [6] as well as the anglicised /əˈkɑːnə/ jə-KAH-nə, [7] which is the only pronunciation in an Australian dictionary. [8] A British dictionary gives /ˈækənə/ JAK-ə-nə for the spelling "jacana" and /ʒæsəˈnɑː/ zhass-ə-NAH for "jaçana". [9]

Diversity

Relationships of the Jacanidae [10] [11]
 
 

Lari

Scolopaci

Charadrii

Eight species of extant jacana are known from six genera and four fossil species have been described from the Oligocene of Egypt [12] and from the Pliocene of Florida. [13] A fossil from Miocene strata in the Czech Republic was assigned to this family, [14] but more recent analysis disputes the placement and moves the species to the Coraciidae. [15]

Jacanas are identifiable by their elongated toes and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat. They have sharp bills and rounded wings, some with carpal spurs, and many species also have wattles and frontal lappets on their foreheads. [16] Jacanas were once placed in the family Parridae based on the genus Parra but the family name is now Jacanidae based on the type genus Jacana. The family is placed within the order Charadriiformes under the suborder Scolopaci and is a sister of the Rostratulidae. They have 10 tail feathers unlike most others wader groups which have twelve. They have a rudimentary caecum. [17] Most jacanas have five neck vertebrae with the exception of Hydrophasianus chirurgus which has six. [18]

Wing bone adaptations in the jacanas Jacanidae wing bones.svg
Wing bone adaptations in the jacanas

In terms of sexual size dimorphism, female jacanas are larger than the males but are alike in plumage. The latter, as in some other wader families like the phalaropes, take responsibility for incubation and care of chicks, and most species (with the exception of the monogamous lesser jacana) are polyandrous. [19] They construct relatively flimsy nests on floating vegetation, and lay eggs with dark irregular lines on their shells, providing camouflage amongst water weeds. [16] The eggs are slightly smaller than in comparable species and it has been considered that this may be due to an evolutionary tradeoff given the larger number of clutches that are laid. [20] Male jacanas brood eggs between the wings and the body. This wing-brooding may be assisted by a special adaptation in the wing bones with either a broadening of the radius or a widening of the gap between the radius and ulna. Young chicks may also be held under the wing and transported to safety by the parent bird in some species. [21] Young chicks dive underwater and stay submerged with only their bill out of water. Some adult jacanas also use the same technique. African jacanas go through a simultaneous moult of their flight feathers leading to a period of flightlessness. Their moult is related to their ability to breed opportunistically based on the availability of rains. [22]

Their diet consists mainly of insects and other invertebrates picked from floating vegetation or the water's surface but plant seeds may also be eaten. Wattled jacanas are known to pick ticks off capybaras. [23] The stomach contents of jacanas have been found to include algae, as well as plant roots and stems, but it is thought that this may be incidentally ingested along with their invertebrate prey. [22]

Most species have rounded wings and short tails. The flight tends to be slow and weak. Most species are sedentary, but the pheasant-tailed jacana migrates from the north of its range into peninsular India and southeast Asia.

Species

Phylogeny of the extant genera within the Jacanidae based on an analysis of mitochondrial gene sequences [24]
SpeciesCommon nameDistribution
Microparra capensis Lesser jacana Central and southeastern Africa Lesser Jacana, Microparra capensis, Chobe River, Botswana.jpg
Actophilornis africanus African jacana Central and southern Africa African jacana (Actophilornis africanus) Kenya.jpg
Actophilornis albinucha Madagascar jacana Madagascar Madagascar Jacana.jpg
Irediparra gallinacea Comb-crested jacana Malaysia, northeastern Australia Corroboree Jacana.jpg
Hydrophasianus chirurgus Pheasant-tailed jacana Asia Pheasant tailed jacana 2016.jpg
Metopidius indicus Bronze-winged jacana Asia Bronze-winged jacana (Metopidius indicus).jpg
Jacana spinosa Northern jacana Mexico, Central America NorthernJacana.jpg
Jacana jacana Wattled jacana Panama, northeastern South America Jacana jacana walking in water.jpg
Extinct species
Jacana farrandiPliocene, Florida [25]
Nupharanassa bulotorumLower Oligocene, Egypt [12]
Nupharanassa tolutariaLower Oligocene, Egypt [12]
Janipes nymphaeobatesLower Oligocene, Egypt [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charadriiformes</span> Order of birds

Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 390 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most charadriiform birds live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic (seabirds), others frequent deserts, and a few are found in dense forest. Members of this group can also collectively be referred to as shorebirds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loon</span> Family of birds

Loons or divers are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus Gavia, family Gaviidae and order Gaviiformes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horned owl</span> Genus of birds (Bubo)

The American horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls make up the genus Bubo, at least as traditionally described. The genus name Bubo is Latin for owl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wader</span> Birds of the order Charadriiformes

Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wading along shorelines and mudflats in order to forage for food crawling or burrowing in the mud and sand, usually small arthropods such as aquatic insects or crustaceans. The term "wader" is used in Europe, while "shorebird" is used in North America, where "wader" may be used instead to refer to long-legged wading birds such as storks and herons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandpiper</span> Family of birds

Scolopacidae is a large family of shorebirds, or waders, which mainly includes many species known as sandpipers, but also others such as woodcocks, curlews and snipes. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Different lengths of bills enable different species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crab-plover</span> Species of bird

The crab-plover or crab plover is a bird related to the waders, but sufficiently distinctive to merit its own family Dromadidae. Its relationship within the Charadriiformes is unclear, some have considered it to be closely related to the thick-knees, or the pratincoles, while others have considered it closer to the auks and gulls. It is the only member of the genus Dromas and is unique among waders in making use of ground warmth to aid incubation of the eggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seedsnipe</span> Family of birds

The seedsnipes are a small family, Thinocoridae, of small gregarious waders which have adapted to a herbivorous diet. The family is divided into two genera, Attagis and Thinocorus, each containing two species. The family has a South American distribution, in the Andean and Patagonian regions. The relationships with other families within the order Charadriiformes are uncertain; it has been suggested that the plains wanderer of Australia, the jacanas and the painted snipes are their closest relatives. The plains wanderer in particular has a similar feeding ecology, although differs markedly in breeding biology. The family's common name is misleading, as they do not resemble true snipe, having short bills on small heads, and seeds do not form a major part of the diet. One species Thinocorus rumicivorus is however known to feed on the fleshy flower petal appendages of Calceolaria uniflora, a species of Scrophularaceae. In the process of feeding on these sugar rich appendages, they also pollinate the flowers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buttonquail</span> Family of birds

Buttonquail or hemipodes are members of a small family of birds, Turnicidae, which resemble, but are not closely related to, the quails of Phasianidae. They inhabit warm grasslands in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia. There are 18 species in two genera, with most species placed in the genus Turnix and a single species in the genus Ortyxelos.

<i>Tringa</i> Genus of birds

Tringa is a genus of waders, containing the shanks and tattlers. The genus name Tringa is the Neo-Latin name given to the green sandpiper by the Italian naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi in 1599. They are mainly freshwater birds, often with brightly coloured legs as reflected in the English names of six species, as well as the specific names of two of these and the green sandpiper. They are typically associated with northern hemisphere temperate regions for breeding. Some of this group—notably the green sandpiper—nest in trees, using the old nests of other birds, usually thrushes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African jacana</span> Species of bird

The African jacana is a wader in the family Jacanidae. It has long toes and long claws that enables it to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes, its preferred habitat. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. For the origin and pronunciation of the name, see Jacanidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronze-winged jacana</span> Species of bird

The bronze-winged jacana is a wader in the family Jacanidae. It is found across South and Southeast Asia and is the sole species in the genus Metopidius. Like other jacanas it forages on lilies and other floating aquatic vegetation, using its long feet and legs for balance. The sexes are alike but females are slightly larger and are polyandrous, maintaining a harem of males during the breeding season in the monsoon rains. Males maintain territories, with one male in the harem chosen to incubate the eggs and take care of the young. When threatened, young chicks may be carried to safety by the male under his wings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pheasant-tailed jacana</span> Species of bird

The pheasant-tailed jacana is a jacana in the monotypic genus Hydrophasianus. Like all other jacanas, they have elongated toes and nails that enable them to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes, their preferred habitat. They may also swim or wade in water reaching their body while foraging mainly for invertebrate prey. They are found in tropical Asia from Yemen in the west to the Philippines in the east and move seasonally in parts of their range. They are the only jacanas that migrate long distances and have different non-breeding and breeding plumages. The pheasant-tailed jacana forages by swimming or by walking on aquatic vegetation. Females are larger than males and are polyandrous, laying several clutches that are raised by different males in their harem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wattled jacana</span> Species of bird

The wattled jacana is a wader in the family Jacanidae found throughout much of South America east of the Andes, as well as western Panama and Trinidad. It is the only species in the Jacanidae family with such a large distribution. Wattled jacanas have long toes and claws which help them walk through aquatic vegetation. Like the majority of species of jacanas, the female is larger than the male, and forms harems of up to 4 or 5 males at any given time. There is also a major difference in proportional development or ornamentation and defense relative to body size when compared to males.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern jacana</span> Species of bird

The northern jacana or northern jaçana is a wader which is known as a resident breeder from coastal Mexico to western Panama, and on Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola in the Caribbean. It sometimes known to breed in Texas, United States, and has also been recorded on several occasions as a vagrant in Arizona. The jacanas are a group of wetland birds, which are identifiable by their huge feet and claws, which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat. In Jamaica, this bird is also known as the 'Jesus bird', as it appears to walk on water.

<i>Actitis</i> Genus of birds

Actitis is a small genus of waders, comprising just two very similar bird species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comb-crested jacana</span> Species of bird

The comb-crested jacana, also known as the lotusbird or lilytrotter, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-toed lapwing</span> Species of bird

The long-toed lapwing , also known as the long-toed plover, is a species of wading bird in the lapwing subfamily, within the family Charadriidae. It is mainly sedentary and found across central and eastern Africa, from Chad and South Sudan in the north to Mozambique in the southeast of its range. It is one of 13 species of ground-nesting lapwings found in Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser jacana</span> Species of bird

The lesser jacana 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.

Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1999.

Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1976.

References

  1. Chenu, J.-C.; Des Murs, M.A.P.O. (1854). Encyclopédie d'Histoire Naturelle: Oiseaux. Vol. 6. Paris: Chez Maresgq. p. 238. For the publication date see: Dickinson, E.C.; Overstreet, L.K.; Dowsett, R.J.; Bruce, M.D. (2011). Priority! The Dating of Scientific Names in Ornithology: a Directory to the literature and its reviewers. Northampton, UK: Aves Press. pp. 83–84. ISBN   978-0-9568611-1-5.
  2. Bock, Walter J. (1994). History and Nomenclature of Avian Family-Group Names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. Vol. 222. New York: American Museum of Natural History. pp. 112, 137, 232. hdl:2246/830.
  3. Stejneger, Leonhard (1885). "Analecta Ornithologica: Sixth Series. XXIX. Jacan contra Parra". The Auk. 2 (4): 337–343 [338]. doi:10.2307/4625293. JSTOR   4625293.
  4. Ferreira, A. B. H. (1986). Novo Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa (Second ed.). Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira. p. 978.
  5. "American Heritage Dictionary" (Fourth ed.). 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  6. 1 2 "dictionary.com Unabridged. Based on the Random House Dictionary". 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  7. "jacana – definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary" . Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  8. "The Macquarie Dictionary Online". Macquarie Dictionary Publishers Pty Ltd. 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2009.. Subscription required.
  9. The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. Clarendon Press. 1993. and "Definition of jacana in English". Language Matters. Oxford Dictionaries.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. Fain, Matthew G.; Houde, Peter (2007). "Multilocus perspectives on the monophyly and phylogeny of the order Charadriiformes (Aves)". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 7 (1): 35. Bibcode:2007BMCEE...7...35F. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-7-35 . PMC   1838420 . PMID   17346347.
  11. Gibson, Rosemary; Baker, Allan (2012). "Multiple gene sequences resolve phylogenetic relationships in the shorebird suborder Scolopaci (Aves: Charadriiformes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 64 (1): 66–72. Bibcode:2012MolPE..64...66G. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.03.008. PMID   22491071.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Rasmussen, D.T.; Olson, Storrs L.; Simons, Elwyn L. (1987). Fossil Birds from the Oligocene Jebel Qatrani Formation, Fayum Province, Egypt (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. pp. 7–8.
  13. Olson, Storrs (1976). "A jacana from the Pliocene of Florida (Aves: Jacanidae)" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 89 (19): 259–264. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 4, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
  14. Mlíkovský, Jiří (1999). "A new jacana (Aves: Jacanidae) from the Early Miocene of the Czech Republic". Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences, Série IIA. 328 (2): 121–123. Bibcode:1999CRASE.328..121M. doi:10.1016/S1251-8050(99)80007-X.
  15. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile (1999). "Systematic position of Nupharanassa bohemica Mlíkovsky, 1999". Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences, Série IIA. 329 (2): 149–152. Bibcode:1999CRASE.329..149M. doi:10.1016/S1251-8050(99)80217-1.
  16. 1 2 Harrison, Colin J.O. (1991). Forshaw, Joseph (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds. London: Merehurst Press. p. 108. ISBN   978-1-85391-186-6.
  17. Clench, Mary H.; Mathias, John R. (1995). "The avian cecum: a review" (PDF). Wilson Bulletin. 107 (1): 93–121.
  18. Chu, P.C. (1995). "Phylogenetic reanalysis of Strauch's osteological data set for the Charadriiformes" (PDF). The Condor. 97 (1): 174–196. doi:10.2307/1368995. JSTOR   1368995. S2CID   53558095.
  19. Jenni, Donald A.; Gerald Collier (1972). "Polyandry in the American Jaçana (Jacana spinosa)". The Auk. 89 (4): 743–765. doi: 10.2307/4084107 . JSTOR   4084107.
  20. Ward, David (2000). "Do polyandrous shorebirds trade off egg size with egg number?". Journal of Avian Biology. 31 (4): 473–478. doi:10.1034/j.1600-048X.2000.310406.x.
  21. Fry, C.H. (1983). "The Jacanid radius and microparra, a neotenic genus". Le Gerfaut. 73: 173–184.
  22. 1 2 Jenni, D.A.; Bonan, A. (2019). "Jacanas (Jacanidae)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  23. Marcus, M.J. (1985). "Feeding associations between capybaras and jacanas: a case of interspecific grooming and possibly mutualism". Ibis. 127 (2): 240–243. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1985.tb05058.x.
  24. Whittingham, L.A.; Sheldon, F.H.; Emlen, S.T. (2000). "Molecular phylogeny of jacanas and its implications for morphologic and biogeographic evolution" (PDF). The Auk. 117 (1): 22–32. doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2000)117[0022:MPOJAI]2.0.CO;2.
  25. Olson, Storrs L. (1976). "A jacana from the Pliocene of Florida (Aves: Jacanidae)". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 89: 259–264.