Scientific Name: Heliopais personatus
Malay Name: Pedendang Asia
Chinese Name: 亚洲鳍趾䴘
Range: Found from Northeast India, Southern Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos to Vietnam and winter to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra and Java.
Taxonomy: Monotypic.
Size: 52-54.5 cm
Identification: Male has thick yellow bill, grey hind neck and hindcrown, blackish throat and upper foreneck with white border, brownish rest of upperparts, mostly whitish underparts and bright green feet. Female resemble male but throat, upper foreneck and much of lores whitish and has less black on forecrown. Juvenile resembles female but somewhat browner above with no black on forecrown.
Habitat: Rivers in broadleaved evergreen forest, mangroves, swamp forest and sometime pools and lakes away from forest.
Behaviour/Ecology: Usually secretive. Head jerks back and forth when swimming.
Local Status: Vagrant
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered (BirdLife International 2022)
Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Masked Finfoot)
References:
BirdLife International. (2022). Heliopais personatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T22692181A181604713.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Masked Finfoot. Retrieved on December 8, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/masked-finfoot.