Madagascan pochard Madagascan pochard The Madagascan pochard or Madagascar pochard ("Aythya innotata"; ) 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 in Madagascar in 2006. As of Fall 2017, the population is around 90 individuals. Based on the accounts written by Webb and Delacour's in the 1920s and 1930s it seemed that the bird was still relatively common at Lake Alaotra. The duck probably started to decline dramatically sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s. The cause of decline was the introduction
Blue Bird Mini Bird P30 step-van chassis and was initially available only with a gasoline engine. In the 1980s, diesel engines (the Chevrolet 6.2L) became an option. In the 1990s, the 6.2L diesel V8 was replaced with a more powerful 6.5L diesel. Unlike other models in the Blue Bird lineup, the Mini Bird was not assembled in Fort Valley, Georgia. Assembly of the Mini Bird took place in Buena Vista, Virginia (Blue Bird East; which closed in 1992) and in Mount Pleasant, Iowa (Blue Bird Midwest, which closed in 2002). Blue Bird Mini Bird The Blue Bird Mini Bird was a Type B school