Jacanidae

Jacanas Temporal range: Oligocene to recent
Comb-crested jacana (Irediparra gallinacea)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Suborder:	Scolopaci
Family:	Jacanidae Chenu & des Murs, 1854
Type genus
Jacana
Genera
Microparra Actophilornis Irediparra Hydrophasianus Metopidius Jacana
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.