Researchers in Cambodia find nest of rare riverine bird

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Wildlife researchers in Cambodia say they have found a breeding location for the masked finfoot bird, one of the world’s most endangered, raising hopes of its continuing survival.

The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society announced Thursday that its researchers, along with conservationists from Cambodia’s Environment Ministry and residents along the Memay river in the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary, have discovered the only confirmed breeding location in Cambodia for the very rare species.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has the bird on its red list of global endangered species because its worldwide population of less than 1,000 is declining at an alarming rate. It is found only in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.