| Madagascar pochard | |
|---|---|
| |
| Male Madagascar pochard, captive breeding program, Madagascar | |
| |
| Female Madagascar pochard, captive breeding program, Madagascar | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Genus: | Aythya |
| Species: | A. innotata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Aythya innotata (Salvadori, 1894)
| |
| |
| Former range (in red) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Nyroca innotata Salvadori, 1894 (basionym) | |
The Madagascar pochard or Madagascan pochard (Aythya innotata; Malagasy: Fotsy maso, Onjo[2]) 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.
- ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Aythya innotata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22680380A128903025. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22680380A128903025.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Aythya innotata (Madagascar Pochard) - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2018-12-29.