Masked Finfoot (Heliopais personata)
IUCN Red List: Vulnerable CITES Appendix (Not Listed)
The endangered Masked Finfoot is an especially poorly known and infrequently observed bird of Southeast Asia. Masked Finfoots are a very shy aquatic birds with long necks and tapered bills; it may appear to be a cross between a duck and a rail.
It has lobed feet as a result of an adaptation for aquatic life and feed primarily from the water by taking food items like crustaceans, amphibians, or invertebrates fallen into the water at the surface. The Masked Finfoot can be found on streams, slow-flowing rivers, creeks, ponds, and lake edges in lowland forest and mangroves. The dry forests of Cambodia are believed to be ideal habitats for this elusive species.
It has a very small, declining population as a result of loss and degradation of wetlands and lowland forest.
It has lobed feet as a result of an adaptation for aquatic life and feed primarily from the water by taking food items like crustaceans, amphibians, or invertebrates fallen into the water at the surface. The Masked Finfoot can be found on streams, slow-flowing rivers, creeks, ponds, and lake edges in lowland forest and mangroves. The dry forests of Cambodia are believed to be ideal habitats for this elusive species.
It has a very small, declining population as a result of loss and degradation of wetlands and lowland forest.
