No! Don’t run! Wait!

A Pheasant-tailed Jacana calls out to you

“Did I scare you with my landing? I have been told that my black chest and white outstretched wings are scary when I come into land. But I thought my yellow-golden nape feathers and long tail feathers would have been fascinating enough to allay those fears. Anyhow, hi, I’m Jolyon Jacana of the Yala Jacanas. Us Jacanas are not frightened of people, actually we like meeting new people. This is mainly because we tend to stick to our lakes and don’t really leave our territories, so it gets a bit boring after a while. Which is why I called out to you mew-mew-mew but I guess you thought I was a cat. Although why you would have thought a flying cat was meowing at you is beyond me.”

Fun Facts

“Funny story. Some people call us Jesus birds. Apparently there is a person called Jesus, you might know him, who walks on water. Well, to tell you the truth, we don’t walk on water. It just looks like that because we walk on water lilies and other floating vegetation whilst foraging. Sometimes the vegetation is just below water, so it looks like we’re walking on water! Hahaha! The lakes are great for finding insects, molluscs, and other invertebrates, which is the main reason why we almost never leave our territory. Now, all this talk of food has made me hungry, I’m off to find some grub. Bye!”

Story of the Photo

The unmistakable Jacanas are a common sight in Yala’s numerous lakes. Dilum was staying at the Mahoora Tented Safari Camp in Yala and was out on a morning safari when he got this amazing shot of a Jacana about to land.