The Comb-crested Jacana is a distinctive wetland bird found across northern and eastern Australia, including parts of New South Wales, where it inhabits freshwater lagoons, swamps and slow moving rivers thick with floating vegetation.
It is instantly recognisable by the bright red fleshy comb on its forehead, long legs and exceptionally long toes, which allow it to walk across lily pads with ease, earning it the nickname “lily trotter”.
Feeding mainly on insects and other small invertebrates picked from the water’s surface, the Comb-crested Jacana has an unusual breeding system where females are larger and mate with multiple males, leaving the males to incubate the eggs and care for the chicks.
Photographed in Kununurra, WA