Jacana birds: Walking on water, breaking the rules

[Judi Lynn]

Posted by
Cristina Ortiz

February 2, 2026

Is this an 8-legged bird? Not quite! Find out more about the fascinating jacana bird below or watch this video. Image via JMx Images/ Shutterstock.

Meet the jacana: a bird that defies much of what you thought you knew about nature. With its precise and elegant steps, it appears to walk on water, moving across water lilies and floating leaves as if it were gliding through the air.

But the amazement doesn’t end with its physical ability. The jacana has parenting and survival behaviors that seem pulled from an upside-down world.

Jacana males are devoted dads

One of the traits that makes the jacana a biological rarity is its reproductive system. In most jacana species, the common male and female roles of the animal kingdom are reversed; females dominate the territory and mate with multiple males, while the males take on the most delicate and risky part of raising the young.

More:
https://earthsky.org/earth/jacana-birds-long-toes-walk-on-lily-pads/