World's Rarest Bird, Madagascar Pochard, Gets New Home

The rarest bird in the world -- a species of duck called the Madagascar pochard -- has been given a new home in time for the new year. From a report: An international team of researchers released 21 of the birds at a lake in the north of Madagascar. It is a step towards the recovery of a species that just over a decade ago was thought to be extinct. Rescuing the species could also be a first step in protecting Madagascar's threatened wetlands. When it wasn't seen for 15 years, the Madagascar pochard was believed to have been wiped out completely. Then a tiny group of the birds was rediscovered in 2006 at one remote lake. These were the last 25 Madagascar pochards on the planet. Wetland habitats in the country have been so polluted and damaged that these few remaining birds had been forced into this last untouched area.

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