Actophilornis Explained

Actophilornis is a genus of jacana. It contains two species restricted to Africa and its surrounding islands.

Taxonomy

The genus Actophilornis was introduced in 1925 by the American ornithologist Harry C. Oberholser with the African jacana as the type species. Actophilornis was a replacement name for Actophilus which was pre-occupied.^{[1] [2]} The name combines the Ancient Greek aktē meaning "river bank" or "coastal strand", -philos meaning "-loving" and ornis meaning "bird".^[3]

The genus contains two species:^[4]

• African jacana, Actophilornis africanus
• Madagascar jacana, Actophilornis albinucha

Notes and References

1. Oberholser . Harry C. . Harry C. Oberholser . 1925 . A new name for the genus Actophilus Oberholser . Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington . 38 . 90 .
2. Book: Peters . James Lee . James L. Peters . 1934 . Check-List of Birds of the World . 2 . Harvard University Press . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 226 .
3. Book: Jobling, James A. . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 31 .
4. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela Rasmussen . August 2022 . Buttonquail, thick-knees, sheathbills, plovers, oystercatchers, stilts, painted-snipes, jacanas, Plains-wanderer, seedsnipes . IOC World Bird List Version 12.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 2 November 2022 .