Masked Finfoot
Encyclopedia
The Masked Finfoot, is an aquatic bird
from the fresh and brackish wetlands of southeastern Asia, Indochina, Malaysia and Indonesia
. Like the rest of the family, the African Finfoot
and the Sungrebe
, the relationship to other birds is poorly understood.
and lobed feet which are green. The male and female both have a black mask and eyebrow that contrasts with a white eyering and lateral cervical stripe. The rest of the neck is grey, the breast is pale and the back, wings and tail are rich brown. The males have an all black chin while the females have a white chin.
across southern Asia and northern Indonesia in a variety of fresh to brackish wetlands. This range includes forest
, wooded savanna
h, flooded forest, and even mangrove
swamps.
The finfoot feeds on aquatic invertebrate
s, including both adults and larval mayflies
, dragonflies
, crustacean
s, also snails, fish
and amphibians. They are thought to be highly opportunistic, and take some of their prey directly off the waters surface. They are adept out of water (unlike their namesakes, the grebe
s) and will forage on the banks as well.
Finfoots are not gregarious in habits, and are usually seen singly or in pairs. They are very secretive, even experienced ornithologists see them very rarely (making them a prized sighting for birders and twitchers). Because they are so elusive it is not known if they spend most of their time in the water (where they are almost always seen) or on land.
The breeding biology is poorly known; It is thought to coincide with the rainy season. They build a pad-shaped nest of small sticks above water. Five to seven eggs
are laid. The chicks leave the nest shortly after hatching.
and declining, with fewer than 2,500 birds estimated to be the world population, and populations are fragmented. Threats are human disturbance and habitat loss. The bird is protected in Malaysia.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
from the fresh and brackish wetlands of southeastern Asia, Indochina, Malaysia and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. Like the rest of the family, the African Finfoot
African Finfoot
The African Finfoot is an aquatic bird inhabiting the rivers and lakes of western, central, and southern Africa.-Description:...
and the Sungrebe
Sungrebe
The Sungrebe or American Finfoot is a bird which breeds in tropical Central and South America from southern Mexico to northeast Argentina and southern Brazil....
, the relationship to other birds is poorly understood.
Description
The Masked Finfoot is an underwater specialist, with a long neck, and a striking sharp beakBeak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
and lobed feet which are green. The male and female both have a black mask and eyebrow that contrasts with a white eyering and lateral cervical stripe. The rest of the neck is grey, the breast is pale and the back, wings and tail are rich brown. The males have an all black chin while the females have a white chin.
Habits and Range
The Masked finfoot can be found in a range of habitatsHabitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
across southern Asia and northern Indonesia in a variety of fresh to brackish wetlands. This range includes forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
, wooded savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
h, flooded forest, and even mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
swamps.
The finfoot feeds on aquatic invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s, including both adults and larval mayflies
Mayfly
Mayflies are insects which belong to the Order Ephemeroptera . They have been placed into an ancient group of insects termed the Palaeoptera, which also contains dragonflies and damselflies...
, dragonflies
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
, crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s, also snails, fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
and amphibians. They are thought to be highly opportunistic, and take some of their prey directly off the waters surface. They are adept out of water (unlike their namesakes, the grebe
Grebe
A grebe is a member of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter...
s) and will forage on the banks as well.
Finfoots are not gregarious in habits, and are usually seen singly or in pairs. They are very secretive, even experienced ornithologists see them very rarely (making them a prized sighting for birders and twitchers). Because they are so elusive it is not known if they spend most of their time in the water (where they are almost always seen) or on land.
The breeding biology is poorly known; It is thought to coincide with the rainy season. They build a pad-shaped nest of small sticks above water. Five to seven eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
are laid. The chicks leave the nest shortly after hatching.
Status and Conservation
The Masked Finfoot is considered endangeredEndangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
and declining, with fewer than 2,500 birds estimated to be the world population, and populations are fragmented. Threats are human disturbance and habitat loss. The bird is protected in Malaysia.