In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw an African Jacana in 7 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.
The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.
Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.
At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the African Jacana.
Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.
How to Draw an African Jacana - Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: Let's draw an African jacana! Start with a small circle for the head and a small pointy beak at the end. Then, add a short neck that starts out skinny at the top but then curves and gets thicker toward the end.
Step 2: Draw a line across the middle of the beak for the mouth. Now, draw a small oval for the eye.
Step 3: For the body, trace a line going across the back and another line going across the bottom for the belly.
Step 4: From the top of the body, now, start tracing a line outward toward the back, then bring the line back down, making sure to angle it toward the front as you go. There's your wing!
Step 5: Next, trace a very skinny leg, angling the top of the leg toward the back, and the bottom toward the front. Now, trace very long toes, one facing the back and the others facing the front.
Step 6: Draw the second leg like you did the first, except that it's a bit shorter. Also, two of the toes are pointed toward the back and the other two toward the front.
Step 7: Last, trace a tiny tail at the back of the body. There's your African jacana!
Interesting Facts about the African Jacana
You can tell when you’re looking at an African Jacana because they have long toes with long claws. These allow them to walk around on vegetation that may be floating around in shallow bodies of water, usually lakes, where they like to live. The African Jacana can usually be found in tropical areas.
Did you know?
- African Jacanas eat small insects or creatures that may either be on the floating vegetation with them or on the surface of the water surrounding them.
- When it comes to parenting, the Daddy African Jacana does all the hard work. Because of this, the male African Jacana has actually developed the ability to pick up a chick and carry it around safely hidden underneath its father’s wings.
- The African Jacana is not a migratory bird – meaning it doesn’t typically fly off to different areas. It tends to stay put, and the areas in which it stays put depend on the water levels each year. For example, in years where there is more rain, the African Jacana will retreat to other, drier areas.
African Jacanas are very skilled swimmers and divers. They can usually be seen walking around on lily pads, and their feet and claws make them easy to distinguish from other wader birds.
How To Draw An African jacana – Step-By-Step Tutorial