African Finfoot (Podica senegalensis)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

African Finfoot

Podica senegalensis (Vieillot, 1817)

599 gWeight

The African finfoot or Peter's finfoot (Podica senegalensis) is an aquatic bird from the family Heliornithidae (the finfoots and sungrebe).

Busiest months: July · Most records: Uganda, Zambia, Senegal

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

African Finfoot has been recorded at 151 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 27 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Lake Mburo NP – Boat RideUganda417 records
  2. Lake Mburo NPUganda340 records
  3. Campement de WassadouSenegal297 records
More places
  1. Caprivi Houseboat LodgeNamibia135 records
  2. Zambezi river cruiseZimbabwe129 records
  3. Ankasa NPGhana116 records
  4. Zambezi River CruiseZambia92 records
  5. Zambezi RiverZambia54 records
  6. Zambezi River near Victoria FallsZimbabwe41 records
  7. Nairobi NPKenya41 records

Countries and regions with the most records

UgandaZambiaSenegalZimbabweSouth AfricaGhanaNamibiaKenya

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The African finfoot or Peter's finfoot (Podica senegalensis) is an aquatic bird from the family Heliornithidae (the finfoots and sungrebe). The species lives in the rivers and lakes of western, central, and southern Africa.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the African Finfoot?

The African Finfoot weighs around 599 g.

Where does the African Finfoot live?

Its breeding range: Africa: widespread. It is most often recorded in Uganda, Zambia and Senegal.

When is the best time to see the African Finfoot?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the African Finfoot endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the African Finfoot as Least Concern.

What does the African Finfoot eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the African Finfoot in?

It belongs to the family Finfoots (Heliornithidae), order Gruiformes.

At a glance

Weight
599 g
Habitat
Wetland
Diet
Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle
On the water surface
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
186 mm
Tail
125 mm
Bill
45 mm
Tarsus
41 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: widespread

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Finfoots Heliornithidae
Genus
Podica

More from the family Finfoots

Masked FinfootMasked FinfootHeliopais personatusSungrebeSungrebeHeliornis fulica
African Finfoot

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗

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