Mystery Bird: Wattled Jacana, Jacana jacana

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[Mystery bird] Wattled Jacana, Jacana jacana, photographed in tributary called the Rio Ariau, a tributary that runs between the Rio Negro and Amazon rivers about 35 miles west of Manaus. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]

Image: Martin, 2008 [larger view].

Nikon D80 300mm lens at 1/100th sec, ISO1600.

Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.

I'm a blogger and a fan of your site (I run the Praxis Carnival), and I happen to have a photograph of a bird I took in the Amazon a while ago which I can't identify, so I thought maybe I could be a bit cheeky and send it to you! Perhaps you could post it for your readers to speculate on.

It's not the best of photos due to the light - it was taken at dawn in tropical rainforest from a small canoe surrounded by piranhas, at ISO1600 (hence the grainy look), through a 300mm lens with a Nikon D80 at 1/100th sec. I'm no ornithologist, but i was able to identify eveything else in my photos bar this one. The location is a tributary called the Rio Ariau, that runs between the Rio Negro and Amazon rivers about 35 miles west of Manaus.

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Looks like a yellow-crowned night heron, based on the beak and mask. But they also have a collar.

Starting at the rear those feet look like Jacana's feet.

Its not brown enough for an adult, so I'll say its a juvenile Wattled Jacana.

I'm probably wrong though!!

Definately a Jacana. I'm not too familiar with Jacana species, but looking at pics of it on google, I'd say your right with the juvenile Wattled Jacana.

By David Rankin (not verified) on 19 Jan 2009 #permalink