CreatureData

Madagascar pochard

Aythya innotata (Salvadori, 1894)

CRCritically Endangeredwaterfowl

The madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata) is a species in the family Anatidae, order Anseriformes. Recorded adults weigh about 685 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Critically Endangered.

Madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata)
Photo: Frank Vassen · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the madagascar pochard

Weight
685 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
wetlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
8src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the madagascar pochard live?

Not recorded

What is the madagascar pochard?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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.

From the Wikipedia article “Madagascar pochard” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Madagascar_pochard&oldid=1371229891), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the madagascar pochard endangered?

The madagascar pochard is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Critically Endangered species. What the categories mean.

How is the madagascar pochard classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderAnseriformes
  5. familyAnatidae
  6. genusAythya
  7. SpeciesAythya innotata (Salvadori, 1894)

Synonyms Nyroca innotata

Other names and names in other languages (44)
  • Madagascan pochardEnglish
  • Madagascan white-eyeEnglish
  • Madagascan white-eyed duckEnglish
  • بط كستنائي الرأس المدغشقريArabic
  • Morilhon MadagaskarBreton
  • morell de MadagascarCatalan
  • polák madagaskarskýCzech
  • hwyaden bengoch MadagasgarWelsh
  • Madagascar Hvidøjet AndDanish
  • Madagaskar Hvidøjet AndDanish
  • MadagaskarmoorenteGerman
  • Madagaskar-MoorenteGerman
  • madagaskara merganasoEsperanto
  • Porrón malgacheSpanish
  • madagaskari vartEstonian
  • اردک ساکت ماداگاسکارPersian
  • madagaskarinsotkaFinnish
  • Fuligule de MadagascarFrench
  • Madagaskarska patkaSerbian (Latin)
  • madagaszkári cigányréceHungarian
  • Moretta del MadagascarItalian
  • マダガスカルメジロガモJapanese
  • madagaskarinė šalminė antisLithuanian
  • OnjoMalagasy
  • FotsimasoMalagasy
  • Fotsy masoMalagasy
  • OnjyMalagasy
  • MadagaskarwitoogeendDutch
  • alaotraandNorwegian
  • podgorzałka madagaskarskaPolish
  • zarro-malgaxePortuguese
  • zarro-de-madagascarPortuguese
  • zarro-de-madagáscarPortuguese
  • Мадагаскарский нырокRussian
  • chochlačka madagaskarskáSlovak
  • Madagaskarska patka njorkaSerbian
  • madagaskardykandSwedish
  • madagaskarbrunandSwedish
  • Madagaskar PatkasıTurkish
  • попелюх мадагаскарськийUkrainian
  • Vịt đầu nâu MadagascarVietnamese
  • 馬島潛鴨Chinese
  • 馬達加斯加潛鴨Chinese
  • 马岛潜鸭Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the madagascar pochard

Other species in the same genus Aythya.

CompareMadagascar pochard vs Tufted duckMadagascar pochard vs Common pochardMadagascar pochard vs Ferruginous duckMadagascar pochard vs Greater scaup

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the madagascar pochard?

An adult madagascar pochard weighs 685 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the madagascar pochard endangered?

The madagascar pochard is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

What kind of animal is the madagascar pochard?

The madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata) belongs to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/madagascar-pochard

MLA

“Madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/madagascar-pochard.

BibTeX
@misc{madagascar_pochard_2026,
  title = {Madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/madagascar-pochard},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}