Cotton Pygmy Goose still present

Cotton Pygmy Goose at Intendance, Mahe (Adrian Skerrett)

In June 2024, Chris Mason-Parker and Rebecca Filippin reported a Cotton Pygmy Goose at Intendance, Mahe. This was accepted by SBRC as the first record for Seychelles and the western Indian Ocean. It disappeared but what was presumed to be the same individual reappeared for 2 days in December 2024 only to vanish once again.

Adrian Skerrett, James Wareing and Elisabeth Hein visited the site on 27 April and located the bird again. Perhaps it had visited another wetland on Mahe or perhaps it just remained hidden given its diminutive size and secretive habits.
 
The Cotton Pygmy Goose is found mainly from southeast Asia to Australia. It is not a goose at all, but in fact holds the world record for the tiniest species of wildfowl on earth. Its distinctive mainly white plumage with specks of grey and black gives it a cotton-like appearance, hence the name. Normally, it does not migrate long distances. However, birds can disperse quite widely following the rainy season and have been recorded as far away from the traditional breeding grounds as the Middle East.