Northern Jacana

The northern jacana is medium-sized wader with long legs and elongated toes. It measures 21.5 to 24 cm (8.5 to 9.4 in) in overall length. The female is significantly larger than the male: breeding females average 161 g (5.7 oz) compared to 91 g (3.2 oz) for the male. It has a chestnut-maroon body with a black head, neck and breast. The bill is bright yellow as is the fleshy shield at the base of the forehead. The upper mandible has a white base. When in flight, its yellowish-green primary and secondary wing feathers are visible. Also visible are yellow bony spurs on the leading edge of the wings, which it can use to defend itself and its young. Young jacana chicks are covered in down and have patterns of orange, browns, black and some white on them. Older chicks are gray and have brownish upper parts. Juveniles have a white supercilium and white lores.

The northern jacana ranges from Mexico to Panama, although it occasionally visits the southern United States, with vagrants being seen in places such as Arizona. It lives on floating vegetation in swamps, marshes, and ponds.

The northern jacana feeds on insects on the surface of vegetation and ovules of water lilies. It also consumes snails, worms, small crabs, fish, mollusks, and seeds. The jacana competes with birds of a similar diet like the sora.