The lesser jacana (Microparra capensis) is a wader in the family Jacanidae and can be found in Africa.

It can be recognized by its long legs and claws that allow it to walk on aquatic vegetation – although it is not to be confused with the larger African Jacana.

[3] The smallest species in the Jacanidae family, the lesser jacana is 15–16 cm tall and weighs 41g.

[5] In the field, lesser jacanas are reportedly more easily identifiable when flying as they may hide in aquatic vegetation.

[8] The lesser jacana can be found in wetland habitats in Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

As new pools are filled with rainfall, lesser jacanas may move into these newly flooded habitats.

They favor areas where sedge and grass cover is sparse, but more abundant as compared to water lilies.

[5] As the lesser jacana trots across lily pads or climbs grass stems, it is able to forage insects from emergent vegetation.

To reproduce, the male mounts the females back and copulation averages 7 seconds – shorter than other jacana species due to lower levels of sperm competition.

[5] The lesser jacana lays two or three tan-colored eggs with black markings in a floating nest.