[5] The species declined in the course of the 20th century, mainly because of habitat destruction, entanglement with monofilament gillnets and predation by the introduced blotched snakehead (Channa maculata).

The previous declaration of a bird species as extinct was that of the Liverpool pigeon (Caloenas maculata) in 2008.

[3] However, that was more a problem of taxonomic recognition as that species was last recorded alive in the late 18th or early 19th century.

[3] "This aquatic species exhibited endemism to the island of Madagascar, exclusively inhabiting the environs of Lake Alaotra and adjacent water bodies.

Notably, this grebe displayed a marked preference for the reed beds and papyrus clusters in the vicinity of the lake, which served as its primary nesting habitat.