Madagascaran pochard

bird

Also known as: Aythya innotata, Madagascar white-eye

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Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

The Madagascaran pochard (Aythya innotata) is a species of diving duck, also known as a bay duck, found in Madagascar. This bird is chestnut-colored with white undersides.1

Historically, the Madagascaran pochard thrived near Lake Alaotra but experienced severe population declines due to development and habitat loss, leading to its presumed extinction in 1991. A small population was rediscovered in 2006, but the species is considered the world's most endangered diving duck.1

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anseriform
General features
nene (Branta sandvicensis), and the Madagascar white-eye (Aythya innotata). Extinction has taken at least six species within the last century, with another three likely extinct, having not been seen for a number of years. The Hawaiian goose was once down to fewer than 50 birds, the Laysan race of the…
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nene (Branta sandvicensis), and the Madagascar white-eye (Aythya innotata). Extinction has taken at least six species within the last century, with another three likely extinct, having not been seen for a number of years. The Hawaiian goose was once down to fewer than 50 birds, the Laysan race of the…
Read More

pochard
The Madagascaran pochard (A. innotata) is chestnut-coloured with white undersides. The species thrived in the vicinity of Lake Alaotra in Madagascar’s north-central basin until the 1940s; however, development and habitat loss caused dramatic population declines, and it was thought to have gone extinct in 1991. Although…
Read More
The Madagascaran pochard (A. innotata) is chestnut-coloured with white undersides. The species thrived in the vicinity of Lake Alaotra in Madagascar’s north-central basin until the 1940s; however, development and habitat loss caused dramatic population declines, and it was thought to have gone extinct in 1991. Although…
Read More