Masked Finfoot (Heliopais personatus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Masked Finfoot

Heliopais personatus (Gray, GR, 1849)

510 gWeight

The masked finfoot or Asian finfoot (Heliopais personatus) is a highly endangered aquatic bird that was formerly distributed throughout the fresh and brackish wetlands of the eastern Indian subcontinent, Indochina, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Most records: Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand

Critically Endangered

Where and when it's recorded

Masked Finfoot has been recorded at 14 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Taman Negara NP Kuala TahanMalaysia17 records
  2. Upper Seletar Reservoir Park (USRP) inc. Mandai Road Track 7 / Nee Soon Swamp ForestSingapore9 records
  3. FRIM – Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Main CampusMalaysia6 records
More places
  1. Khao Yai NPThailand3 records
  2. Taman Alam Kuala SelangorMalaysia2 records
  3. Seima Protection Forest – Headquarters areaCambodia1 record
  4. Angkor WatCambodia1 record
  5. Prek Toal Bird SanctuaryCambodia1 record
  6. Kranji MarshSingapore1 record
  7. Sungei Buloh Wetland ReserveSingapore1 record

Countries and regions with the most records

MalaysiaSingaporeThailandCambodia

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 masked finfoot or Asian finfoot (Heliopais personatus) is a highly endangered aquatic bird that was formerly distributed throughout the fresh and brackish wetlands of the eastern Indian subcontinent, Indochina, Malaysia and Indonesia. Like the rest of the family, the African finfoot and the sungrebe, the relationship to other birds is poorly understood.

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

Questions

How big is the Masked Finfoot?

The Masked Finfoot weighs around 510 g.

Where does the Masked Finfoot live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: northeastern India and Southeast Asia. It is most often recorded in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Is the Masked Finfoot endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Masked Finfoot as Critically Endangered.

What does the Masked Finfoot eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Masked Finfoot in?

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

At a glance

Weight
510 g
Habitat
Wetland
Diet
Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle
On the water surface
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Critically Endangered
More measurements
Wing
240 mm
Tail
108 mm
Bill
53 mm
Tarsus
48 mm

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

Range

Oriental: northeastern India and Southeast Asia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Finfoots Heliornithidae
Genus
Heliopais

More from the family Finfoots

African FinfootAfrican FinfootPodica senegalensisSungrebeSungrebeHeliornis fulica
Masked Finfoot

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

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