Madagascar Pochard (Aythya innotata)
About the Madagascar Pochard
The Madagascar pochard or Madagascan pochard (Aythya innotata; Malagasy: Fotsy maso, Onjo) is an extremely rare diving duck of the genus Aythya. Thought to be extinct in the late 1990s, specimens of the species were rediscovered at Lake Matsaborimena near Bemanevika in Madagascar in 2006. By 2017, a captive breeding program had produced a population of around 90 individuals. The birds were reintroduced to the wild in December 2018. The Madagascar pochard feeds mainly on aquatic insects, unlike other diving ducks in the same genus, The population is small, fluctuating around 25 individuals, and mainly utilises two small volcanic lakes in the far north of Madagascar. Aythya ducklings begin making short dives at around 14 days old, before which they feed on the surface.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 5 recordings for this species: 4 CC BY-NC-SA · 1 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Madagascar in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- Common PochardAythya ferinarecording
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collarisrecording
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligularecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.