Being a parent can be busy work, and comb-crested jacana dads often have their wings full.

Sometimes referred to as the lotus bird, or Jesus bird, for its ability to seemingly walk on water, the comb-crested jacana is a highly distinctive Australian native waterbird with some very unusual behaviours.

If a male senses his chicks are in danger, he bundles them up under his wings and carries them to safety, with only their dangling legs visible beneath his feathers.

Sally Corte, from Maryborough in the Fraser Coast region of Queensland, was lucky enough to witness a display of that remarkable behaviour on her backyard dam and managed to capture it on camera.

"The jacana are quite shy and difficult to approach, and I've never actually been successful in photographing them before," Ms Corte said.

"We have our own dam and we like to keep it clear of water weeds for local wildlife.

"I knew the jacanas were around and I saw one fairly close and I looked and I thought, 'oh, my goodness, there are some chicks'.

The male jacana carrying his chicks, giving him the odd appearance of having extra legs hanging down. ( Supplied: Sally Corte )

"I paddled out on my canoe and sat quietly and then suddenly I saw the jacana, but I couldn't see the chicks.

"I zoomed in with the camera and realised this jacana had the chicks under its wings. I had never seen that before and I was quite excited and so pleased to be able to photograph it.

"It took me by surprise and it wasn't until I looked at it on my computer that I counted the legs and realised there were eight dangling legs, two chicks under each wing.

"It wasn't particularly disturbed by me and wandered fairly close, before wandering off with them."

Stay-at-home dads

Australian Birdlife Magazine editor Sean Dooley said the jacana was a fascinating native bird.

"The word jacana is an indigenous name from Brazil and there is a species over there," he said.

"I have to say, and this is a technical term, they are one of the coolest birds going around.

"The jacana has these incredibly long toes which means it can distribute its weight so that it doesn't break through the surface tension of the water on the lily pads, making it look like it's walking on water — you hardly ever see them on land."

The comb-crested jacana is a highly distinctive native waterbird, with a bright red comb on the top of its head. ( Supplied: Sally Corte )

Mr Dooley said the males were hard-working stay-at-home dads.

"Jacanas build a nest on a floating platform using vegetation they pick up and the really interesting thing is that the traditional gender roles are reversed," he said.

"Once the female lays the eggs she disappears and goes off partying with other males and leaves the male to incubate the eggs.

"If there is danger happening, they often freeze to avoid detection and the adult birds will sink the nest down to the water line to make the eggs less visible.

"Once the eggs hatch the chicks can feed themselves almost from the first day, but the parents are still very protective, especially the males.

"If there's a bit of danger, he will signal to the chicks and the chicks will disappear under his wings and he can carry them off, basically until the danger is gone.

The comb-crested jacana has extremely long toes suited to walking over water vegetation. ( Supplied: Sally Corte )

"It seems incredible; the chicks must wedge themselves up under his wings.

"It's a really bizarre thing when you see this adult bird, and you haven't realised what's going on, and suddenly two or three fluff balls just pop out from under its wings. It's just an incredible sight.

"It's, I think, pretty unique, even in the bird world."

Jacanas 'vulnerable' in NSW

Comb-crested jacanas can be found on freshwater wetlands in eastern and northern Australia, from the north-eastern Kimberley area of Western Australia to Cape York Peninsula, then south along the east coast to the Hunter region of New South Wales.

They are sometimes found further south in areas including Sydney, chasing favourable conditions.

A male jacana keeping a close watch on his chicks, which can just be seen seeking refuge in weeds and vegetation. ( Supplied: Sally Corte )

"They are listed as vulnerable in NSW but nationwide, they are listed as not having any conservation concerns yet," Mr Dooley said.

"There's evidence they've expanded their range in NSW in the last 50 or 60 years [and] there's conjecture as to how far south they came in their original range.

"There are a couple of sites in Sydney where they turn up regularly, but they really don't breed on a regular basis much south of Grafton in NSW."

Mr Dooley said jacanas often flew under the radar.

"They are really quite easily overlooked, these stunning birds, with really peculiar behaviour that happens right under our noses," he said.