Masked Finfoot
Binomial Name: Heliopais personata
The fishermen of the Sundarban have named it 'Sundari Hans' [the beautiful duck].Although it looks like a duck, the bird is not a duck, nor any of the close relatives of
the duck family. The Masked Finfoot was formerly considered endangered anddeclining, with fragmented populations and fewer than 600–1,700 individuals in
2009, a 2020 study in the 100–300, far lower than the previous estimate. This indicates that the species shouldForktailjournal found the population to likely be between
be updated to critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. This bird, listed as vulnerable
in Bangladesh, lives in only a few countries worldwide. Over the past few decades,the number of these birds has been declining worldwide, and they have become
extinct in some of their former roaming grounds. The shy, mysterious Masked Finfootis a rare resident bird of Bangladesh. It is an iconic bird of the Bangladeshi Sundarban.
Their most likely habitat [±100] is a few canals in the Bangladesh portion of the
Sundarban. The bird is not seen in the Indian part of the Sundarban. They eat bywalking in the mud on the banks of the Sundarban canal or swimming in shallow
water. The food list includes mudskippers, small fish, aquatic insects, snails, andinvertebrates. July-August is their breeding season. At this time, they lay their eggs
by making a nest on a large tree branch slightly above the water or land.
my›ix nvum, KvjvgyL c ̈vivcvwL, gy‡Lvkciv Rjvi cvwL my›ie‡bi †R‡jiv Gi bvg w‡q‡Q Ômy›ix nvumÕ| †L‡Z nuv‡mi g‡Zv n‡jI cvwLwU nuvm †Zv bqB, nvum‡i wbKU-AvZ¥xq‡iI †KD bv| 2009 mv‡j evW©jvBd B›Uvib ̈vkbv‡ji Z_ ̈ Abyhvqx mvivwe‡k¦ G cvwLi msL ̈v 600 †_‡K 1700 wUi †ewk bv| Z‡e hy³ivR ̈ wfwËK Iwi‡q›Uvj evW© K¬v‡ei 2020 mv‡j cÖKvwkZ ForktailRvb©v‡ji Z_ ̈ Abyhvqx mvivwe‡k¦ Gi msL ̈v 100 †_‡K 300-i g‡Zv, hv Av‡Mi Zz jbvq Avk¼vRbK Kg| evsjv‡‡ki my ›iebmn GB cvwLwUi emevm i‡q‡Q c„w_exi gvÎ K‡qKwU †‡k| weMZ K‡qK kK a‡i GB cvwLi msL ̈v wek¦Ry‡oB Avk¼vRbK nv‡i Kg‡Q Ges c~e©eZx© K‡qKwU wePiY ̄’‡j m¤¢eZ Giv wejyß n‡q †M‡Q| jvRyK ̄^fv‡ei, inm ̈gqx my›ix nvum evsjv‡‡kiyj©f AvevwmK cvwL| my›ieb evsjv‡k As‡ki K‡qKwU LvjB m¤¢eZ cvwLwUi me‡kl e„nËg (Kg‡ewk 100 wUi g‡Zv)
Avevm ̄’j| fviZxq my›ie‡b cvwLwU‡K †Lv hv‡”Q bv eûwb a‡i| my›ie‡bi Lv‡ji cv‡o
Kvvq †nu‡U ev AMfxi cvwb‡Z mvuZvi †K‡U Lvevi Lvq| Lv ̈ZvwjKvq Av‡Q gvWw ̄‹cvi,
†QvU gvQ, RjR †cvKv, kvgyK I A‡giæÐx cÖvYx| RyjvB-AvM÷ Zv‡i cÖRbbKvj| Gmgq
cvwb ev f~wg †_‡K mvgvb ̈ Dc‡i Mv‡Qi eo Wv‡j evmv evwb‡q wWg cv‡o|
(^114) IBirds^ of^ the^ Sundarban
Photo © Foridi Numan