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The bird that walks on water
With their outrageously long toes, these inhabitants of
tropical freshwater marshes and streams are able to walk on
floating vegetation, looking for all the world as if they
were walking on water. They are sometimes called
"lily-trotters"
With a high-stepping walk and a jerk of the tail between
each step, the Northern Jacana walks nimbly across the
leaves of water lilies and other aquatic vegetation,
picking insects, small molluscs and other animal food from
the surface of the plants. Its spread toes with elongated
claws cover an amazing area of 12x14cm, thus dispersing its
weight over a wide area.
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