A striking photograph depicts a mother Pheasant-tailed jacana bird tenderly sheltering her chicks beneath her wings. The image highlights the protective behavior of these birds, who use their wings to guard their young from harm as well as from inclement weather.
The Pheasant-tailed jacana is recognized for its distinctive long toes and nails, adaptations that enable it to walk across floating vegetation in shallow water bodies. This unique ability has earned it the nickname 'Jesus bird,' evoking imagery of walking on water.
These birds primarily feed on small insects and invertebrates found in their aquatic habitats. In a notable aspect of their social structure, female jacanas are polyandrous, meaning they mate with and maintain a group of multiple male partners. The males typically shoulder the majority of parental responsibilities, including nest construction, egg incubation, and raising the chicks.
The photographs capturing this maternal display were taken by Arpan Hanra at a lake in Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal, India.
