African Finfoot

Podica senegalensis

A dark, elongated, duck-like, aquatic bird with neon orange bill and legs. The back and underparts are variably spotted and barred. The throat is gray in the male and white in the female. It swims slow and low in the water with its tail held on the surface. This secretive bird moves in pairs on perennial rivers, swamps, and quiet clear backwaters, foraging under overhanging cover for invertebrates, frogs, and fish. The short, thick neck and bright-colored bill and feet differentiate it from darters and cormorants.

识别特征

The African finfoot is an underwater specialist with a long neck, a striking sharp beak, and bright red, lobed feet. The plumage varies by race, generally pale underneath and darker on top. The males are usually darker than the females. It superficially resembles South America's torrent duck.

分类信息

学名
Podica senegalensis
命名信息
(Vieillot, 1817)
Gruiformes
Heliornithidae
Podica

分布与栖息地

迁徙
Resident species

保护状况

The African finfoot's conservation status is hard to determine, given its elusive nature. It is not considered threatened, as it is not persecuted or targeted by hunters, and while scarce, it is very widespread. However, there is concern that it may become threatened, as wetlands are cleared and watercourses altered and polluted. It is also thought to tolerate only minimal disturbance. This and increased habitat fragmentation mean that the species needs to be monitored to safeguard it. There are currently no African finfoots in captivity.

种群趋势
declining

照片

分布

鸟叫声

其他鸟类

Bismarck Munia

Bismarck Munia

Lonchura melaena

A handsome small finch that appears very dark with a bright white belly patch. Head and chest black, back rich hazelnut brown, tail golden-orange. Undertail very black. Flanks scaled black-and-white. Found in most patches of tall grass up to 1200 meters of elevation. Other munias occur in the same areas, but Bismarck’s bold color patterns make for simple identification. Most common call is a chorus of soft “peep” and “see” notes, but overall relatively quiet.

Black-capped Tanager

Black-capped Tanager

Stilpnia heinei

Small, active tanager with notably different male and female plumages. Male is steely blue overall with slightly darker wings. Look for sea-green throat and cheek, streaked upper breast, and contrasting black cap and nape. Female is mostly lime green with pale bluish head and breast; she has just a ghosting of the male’s black cap. Usually found in pairs, often following a mixed-species flock in the canopy. An Andean species, found in subtropical forest, edges, and gardens. Visits fruit feeders.

Fire-throated Flowerpecker

Fire-throated Flowerpecker

Dicaeum luzoniense

Tiny songbird of montane forests in the Philippines, where it is found on Luzon, Mindanao, and the Western Visayas. Adult male is dark blue above and pale creamy white below, with a black stripe leading down the belly from a brilliantly red patch like a bloodstain on the breast and lower throat. Female is much plainer, brownish-olive above and pale buff below; compare with Pygmy Flowerpecker, which has a bicolored and more slender downcurved bill. Often forages at flowers blooming in the canopy. Gives a thin, high-pitched “tsee’ee”, as well as a short, high-pitched series with a similar cadence. Formerly treated as a subspecies of Fire-breasted Flowerpecker.

开始您的观鸟之旅

在户外识别鸟类,并在下一次观察时随手查阅鸟类图鉴。