Oriental Bird Images
 

 
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Masked Finfoot Heliopais personatus   - Female
Masked Finfoot
Photographer : © Ramki Sreenivasan
Location :southeast corner of the Sundarbans, Bangladesh
Date : 5 January 2016
English synonyms:Asian Finfoot
Bird Family :Heliornithidae - Finfoots
Bird Group :GRUIFORMES
Red Data Status :Endangered
Remarks :I just returned from a 6-day boat trip to the southeast corner of the Bangladesh Sundarbans looking for this shy and secretive bird. We had great sightings of two females (white throat) and two males (black throat). ​

Very little is known about the habits and the precise distribution of this species. There are no recent reliable records from India. The bird is experiencing a shocking population decline across its range and the Sundarbans ​mangroves ​ of Bangladesh (mainly East Sanctuary) is clearly one stronghold for the future survival of the species.

Thanks to Sayam U. Chowdhury and his great team (including Nazim Uddin Khan Prince) who led this superbly organised trip from Khulna​ to the mangroves and back​. Just like their amazing work with the Bangladesh Spoon-billed Sandpiper Conservation Project, the group is doing exemplary and pioneering work in science as well conservation of the Finfoot against unbelievable odds. Hats off to their dedication and hard work! ​

We are exploring the feasibility of a conservation tourism initiative to support some of the ​costs of the logistically complex Finfoot monitoring project. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. - RS