The Alaotra grebe (Tachybaptus rufolavatus) has been declared extinct. Undoubtedly, the grebe is a victim of anthropogenic activities around Lake Alaotra—a large lake located in the central plateau region of Madagascar, which was the grebe’s stronghold. Activities such as fishing, rice production, and the introduction of invasive species changed the ecology of Lake Alaotra. Obviously, the grebe couldn’t adapt to these changes. More via Birdlife International:

BirdLife International has announced, in the 2010 IUCN Red List update for birds, the extinction of Alaotra Grebe Tachybaptus rufolavatus. Restricted to a tiny area of east Madagascar, this species declined rapidly after carnivorous fish were introduced to the lakes in which it lived. This, along with the use of nylon gill-nets by fisherman which caught and drowned birds, has driven this species into the abyss.

“No hope now remains for this species. It is another example of how human actions can have unforeseen consequences”, said Dr Leon Bennun, BirdLife International’s Director of Science, Policy and Information. “Invasive alien species have caused extinctions around the globe and remain one of the major threats to birds and other biodiversity.”

On a brighter note, the Madagascar pochard, another aquatic bird endemic to Madagascar and once thought to be extinct (the diving duck was rediscovered in 2006 prior to a confirmed sighting in 1991), is benefiting from a captive breeding program. Like the Alaotra grebe, Lake Alaotra was the pochard’s stronghold. However, it was rediscovered outside the Lake Alaotra region on a much smaller lake in northern Madagascar. Eggs were collected by a team of scientists from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, and the ducklings have been successfully reared in Madagascar. It’s encouraging to see that the juveniles are heavy female. More via the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust:

Things are progressing well in Madagascar. All 23 birds are faring well. We have been able to sex the third brood, and the bias in favour of females continues – we now have a total of 16 females and seven males. As you can see from the photos by Owen, the birds are full size, with their first proper plumage, though still rather dowdy compared with adults. But the males already have pale eyes (not quite the shining white that they will be after a year or two), whereas they remain dark brown in the females.

It’s unclear yet whether these birds will breed in their first year. But just in case, we have taken the precaution of mixing the broods. The males from brood two have been placed with the females from brood one, males from brood three with females from brood two, and so on.

Even if our birds breed successfully this year, we will still need to return to Lake Bemanevika in autumn to collect clutches from all six females – to ensure that we have as much genetic diversity in the founder stock as possible.

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