Jacana

Jacana (Parridæ), a family of birds allied to the Rails (Rallidæ), but differing from them and from all other birds in possessing extremely long, slender, straight toes with long, sharp, pointed claws. They have pointed spurs on their wings, and many have a shield on the forehead like coots and moor-hens. They are found in all the tropics, and are birds of elegant plumage, frequenting swamps, lagoons, and marshes, where they walk on the broad floating leaves of aquatic plants with the greatest ease. The genus Parra (ten species) is widely distributed in the warm parts of South America, Africa, Asia, and also the Australian region. The Common Jacana (Parra jacana), a South American species abundant in Guiana and Brazil, is about 10 inches long, of a black colour, with neck and shoulders of a reddish-brown tint, and with green wing-feathers. The other genus (Hydrophasianus) of the family consists of only one species, the Pheasant-tailed Jacana, which is confined to the oriental region. It is the largest of all the Jacanas, and is found in India and Ceylon, where it inhabits marshes and reedy banks, feeding chiefly on vegetable matter, but also on shells and water insects. The flesh forms excellent eating.