Madagascar Pochards: History made as world’s rarest bird released into the wildPublished3 January 2019Image source, Durrell/S. JamesImage caption, Meet one of the world's rarest birds - a Madagascar pochard. They are ducks, and for 15 years, experts thought they were extinct. Now a new approach is trying to boost their numbers.Image source, DurrellImage caption, They've been brought back from the brink and are being given a new home on a remote lake in Madagascar. 21 Madagascar pochards spent a week in the safety of the world’s first floating aviaries on Lake Sofia in the north of the country.Image source, Durrell/S. JamesImage caption, Experts from Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, The Peregrine Fund and the Government of Madagascar have spent years getting ready for the birds to be introduced.Image source, DurrellImage caption, Pochards eat plants and seeds, snails, small fish and insects. With a wild population of just 25, this duck may be the rarest bird on the planet.Image source, WWTImage caption, Madagascar pochards spend almost all their time on water and, importantly, feed underwater. For this reason, a plan was conceived to convert Scottish salmon-farming cages into the world’s first floating aviaries.Image source, WWTImage caption, The birds need wetlands to thrive and many of those areas in northern Madagascar are "severely degraded" according to the WWT. The recent release of the ducks at Lake Sofia is part of a long-term plan to restore these wetlands.Image source, WWTImage caption, Other floating equipment – feeding stations and rafts to hang out on – have also been specially designed and installed on the lake to give the birds the best possible chance of survival.Image source, Durrell/S. JamesImage caption, The birds, which hatched in October, spent a week in aviaries on the lake, before they were released. This was to allow the birds to get used to their new surroundings, increasing the chances that they will stay their after release.More on this storyScottish wildcats and other rare UK animalsPublished8 December 2018Pictures: First ever pics of rare animalsPublished27 April 2012