Jaçana: The Big Foot of the Bird World

Look at this great picture of a bird in flight. But wait -he's not carrying anything, those are his big feet! This is a Jaçana, a tropical bird that lives in shallow lakes and wetlands. Those long toes are perfect for walking on lilypads and other floating vegetation, distributing the bird's weight across a fair-sized area. In fact, the Jaçana is sometimes called the "Jesus bird" for its ability to walk on water. Find out more, and see lots of pictures, at Ark in Space. Link -via the Presurfer

(Image credit: Flickr user T_Monk)