Regarded as conspecific with the Comoros fody in the past, it is now recognized as a distinct species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Aldabra fody was described as Foudia aldabrana by Robert Ridgway in 1893, based on several specimens, both male and female, at the American Museum of Natural History.

[3] The species has since been synonymized with F. eminentissima, the Cormoros fody, by some researchers, and was once treated as such by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Madagascar fody is thought to have reached Aldabra by way of Assumption Island, where they were introduced in 1977 for aesthetic purposes.

A 2015 study found no indication of hybridization between the two species prior to human contact, stating that the birds most likely colonized the island before the start of the eradication program on Assumption.

Hybridization between the species has occurred in a region known as Takamaka in the eastern part of the atoll, and the results of the study suggested that the invasive birds had not yet reached other areas.

[10] The breeding plumage of the male is orange-scarlet on the head and breast, with yellow on the back and body, sides and flanks imbued with olive-gray, a sulfur-yellow belly, yellowish white tips on the median covert feathers, and an orange rump.

[5][10] An article published in the Bulletin of the African Bird Club, a conservationist journal, described the males of the species as the "most attractive of all fodies".

[9] "Cardinals" reported on Astove and possibly Cosmoledo in the 19th century may have been the Aldabra fody, but there is no proof of this.

[11] They are strongly territorial, with a characteristic threat display consisting of drooping the wings and tail while puffing out the feathers of the head, breast, and rump.

[11] Rice and kitchen scraps are taken near human settlement,[10] while unripe maize is eaten only when already opened by rats.

[10] The large bill may be a product of adaptive radiation, designed to compete with other land-dwelling birds of the atoll by exploiting all available sources of food.

[9] The Aldabra fody's nesting success may be very low due to the rate at which nestlings and eggs are taken by predators such as the pied crow and black rat.