African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus).
Now for a bird with such long toes, I do love the Afrikaans name of “Grootlangtoon” or roughly translated “Big long toe”, this describes the bird beautifully.
They are waders, identified by long toes and long claws that enable them to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes, their preferred habitat. They breed on floating nests with such beautiful coloured eggs, when I collected eggs I remember taking the chance with crocodiles and wading into a dam to get myself an egg.. I must admit it was with a certain amount of trepidation as I was in the nude and could picture the crocodile sizing me up as a meal… deciding where to bite first… oooohh I cross my legs even now at the thought of it…
The female breeds with a number of males ( It is a polyandrous species) and believe it or not, it is the male that raises the chicks… he has the ability to pick the chicks up under his wings and hide them as he feeds and jumps about on the water lilies… which is their main feeding area, where they feed on insects and other invertebrates picked from the floating vegetation or the surface of the water.
The eggs are preyed upon by many of it’s enemies so the female will breed several times a year… they have no specific time of the year to breed, and as the poor “henpecked” male has to raise the chicks, she can fly around and take on another man… is this not a bit slutty.???
Their call is a strange one and can be heard at the following site.. click here … and now for a photo or two…
The Photographic Journey of bulldog. 
Seeing those feet makes me marvel at evolution.
Very interesting birds.
Thank you..
This post gets my vote for funniest captions! LOL too good!
The Grootlangtoon looks very paleolithic…but only on the lower half! In your “sinking feeling” photo you’d think it was your average ptarmigan.
And thanks for the new word, “polyandrous.” The next time I’m tempted to label someone a ‘ho I’ll say, “she’s quite a polyandrous sort” instead!
😉
Thanks you… ‘ho seems so much easier to remember…
It’s beautiful, and your photos are amazing! 🙂
Thanks Inga…
Those feet are marvelous! I’ve never seen any like them before, I am certain! 🙂
It is also known as the lily trotter… I think there is a similar bird in the amazon area…
“Why is it so difficult to pass wind these days?” – I almost dropped my beer from laughing so hard! You are too funny, Bulldog!
Good question, as we age you would think it would get easier and not require so much effort….
You’re so funny, bulldog. Fabulous photos again. 🙂
Thank you…
AMAZING FEET! THEY LOOK LIKE SPIDERS!!!
It is an amazing bird and I hope one day to capture the father with the young ones feet sticking out from under his wings… it looks so comical and he gathers them up so quick when he feels there is danger about…
The colors in the photos where he is in the water are so striking and yes, what feet!!!!
Thanks some toe nails to paint…
Ha le dita delle zampe lunghissime, incredibile. Però è un uccello stupendo, molto elegante, è come se avesse una mascherina intorno agli occhi che lo rende ancora più affascinante. Bellissime foto 🙂
Ciao, Pat
Thanks Pat…
what long toes indeed!
Now today I pop over to see dianasschwenk Friday pick, and what do I find.??? Me… how does one thank you for such a kind commentary and referral… you are too kind with your compliments and a simple thank you seems so little in return… but what else can I say… I would love to shake your hand , give you a hug and say a heartfelt thanks, but you are soooo far away… but I do thank you from the bottom of my heart…
You’re very welcome and I meant every word!
I am humbled by your words…
Bulldog, I have really come to look forward to your blog. It’s like taking a course in birds and other wildlife without the nasty exams!! You have such an amazing variety of birds in South Africa :). You are so lucky!!
Oh that we have… 900 odd different specie and I have still so far to go to capture them all on camera… but we do live in a small piece of paradise when it comes to the birds…
Goodness me but those are long toes! Love your quips on the pics!
thank you… quite odd looking when they fly… look like they are dragging a stick behind them
Those toes are extraordinary – interesting how it puts them to use. Glad you didn’t get gobbled by the croc!
I have seen them with the young under the wings the toes are so big they stick out it looks quite strange…
That would be such a sight. Apparently peahens do the same thing with their young but I am yet to see it!
They do have big feet. Uniquely beautiful. Love how you captured having them standing on the lily pads. Wishing you and your family all the wonderful blessings of the holidays.
Thank you so much and our wishes back to you… may the new year be a good one…
A real comedian you are becoming with these captions bd!!!! 🙂 Oh yes – these toes are noteworthy indeed. Another really interesting feathered friend from your land. Fantastic images once again — you never cease to amaze your readers ! x R
Thank you Robyn… I’m really beginning to enjoy this more and more… and we do have such a wide and diverse birding in this Country… having now over 25 000 photos of birds it’s getting to the stage I need to do a bit of filing, and trying to put specie by specie… but thanks for your unending support, so nice to have regular comments of this nature… and I do love your blog.. maybe I must send you a photo and let you put words to it… xx
So much catching up to do, such great shots, but this one I love! I can see those toes working wonderfully for him walking on water, but I wonder how often they get tangled up in the grass?
How true.. they do struggle walking around in the long stuff… but then no more than we do…
I’m laughing a little! These days, now my eyes aren’t what they used to be, walking through obstacles is a little more challenging than I’d like – I hope the Grootlangtoons and I don’t end up on our faces too often 🙂
Please do not grow your toe nails too long then… you might have the same problems as these fellows…
🙂 🙂 🙂
cute..but enjoyed the conversation even more..especially the one on handbags
Thank you… yes that pesky small change disappears in a pocket so easily…
Nice one, bull. Glad I don’t have such toenails to cut, though 😉
Specially now when life has dealt out the disease of old age and the toe nails seem to be so much further away now than what they where…
How did you know that about me??
because I’m suffering from the same …lol 🙂
You sure have interesting birds. Very bright colours. I like the idea of the male doing a bit of work for a change.
The more I photograph the more I find the males are doing the raising of the young… an interesting fact, in some cases the female sits and hatches and then say to the male..”All yours Buddy”… I wonder what would be the survival rate in humans if that was the case.??
Pretty poor, but I think I’m seeing a gradual change. I keep saying in my next life I’m coming back as a man, but with my luck, women would have things sorted out by then and it would be a “woman’s world” and I’d be out of luck again. These birds (the females) have the right idea.
I’ve always said I want to come back as a female… now you have me thinking…
It’s probably a good thing we don’t have the option to mess around with our fate. Things can always get worse.