Masked Finfoot

This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Heliopais personatus

Malay Name: Pedendang Asia

Chinese Name: 亚洲鳍趾鷉

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)

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Masked Finfoot Heliopais personatus
Average number of individuals by week based on Singapore Bird Database data, Jul 2013 to Jun 2023 (all records)
Early date 09 Jan 2010
Late date 13 Apr 2002
Bar chart not displayed for this species; no records in the given time period.
This globally Endangered species was last seen in Jan 2010 at Upper Seletar Reservoir.
Masked Finfoot at Mandai. Photo Credit: Calvin Chang
Masked Finfoot at Mandai. Photo Credit: Myron Tay
Masked Finfoot at Mandai. Photo Credit: Calvin Chang

External Links:

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 April 21, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/masked-finfoot.

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