Coots Nurture Their Chicks and Our Wetlands

A coot chick enters the world as a small, dusky ball of down with a neon-red bill and a brilliant orange-yellow ruff. Within hours of breaking free of its speckled egg, it paddles alongside its attentive parents. For the first few weeks, the young chick shelters among reeds and tall grasses, where both adults gently offer it small bites of plants and aquatic prey.

The chick’s blazing colors are gone in days, replaced by soft plumage in shades of gray. As it grows, the young coot forages alongside its siblings while the adults remain nearby as it becomes increasingly independent. Within a few months, the chick that once announced itself in living color becomes a slate-bodied adult: white bill with a dark tip and a blush of rusty brown at the top of its frontal shield.

Adult coots are shaped like small chickens, squawk like geese with sore throats, and are often mistaken for ducks. They belong to the rail family, a shy, secretive group that moves through the marsh largely out of sight. But coots stand out — they’re stocky, conspicuous, and comfortable in the open. Even their feet set them apart: Where other rails have long, unwebbed toes, coots have lobed toes with flexible flaps that fold back when they dive, and when spread, help them sprint across the surface before takeoff or drive straight into a rival.

During breeding season, territorial disputes erupt without warning. Their oversized feet are formidable weapons, and an approaching intruder quickly finds out. Heads lower, wings lift, and sharp calls ring out in warning before the defending bird charges, striking with its bill and strong feet. With wings half spread, the birds thrash and batter one another, each trying to force the other underwater with a violence that’s startling in a bird that tends its chicks with such patience and care.

Coots are a global group — the American Coot found across the lower 48 states, and the Eurasian Coot ranging from much of Europe and northern Africa across Asia. A close relative, the Hawaiian Coot, found only in Hawaii’s wetlands, is federally listed as endangered.

In the Northern Hemisphere, mated pairs are now busy building floating nests that they anchor to reeds. But reeds aren’t essential for these resourceful problem solvers. Along docks, seawalls, and boats, coots nest wherever they can, using whatever natural materials and discarded debris are at hand. On an Amsterdam canal, a pair claimed a tire lashed to the side of a houseboat, meant to cushion the hull, and turned it into a floating nest at the waterline. 

For all their ferocity and parental devotion, coots also benefit the wetlands they call home. As they graze on aquatic plants day after day, they help keep vegetation from overtaking the water and crowding out fish. Their constant movement stirs shallow water and turns over sediment, keeping the whole system moving. This happens in city parks and local ponds as readily as in marshes.  Wherever coots settle, the water tends to be healthier for it — and that is no small thing.

Which makes it worth pausing, the next time you pass a pond or visit a marsh, to take a closer look at this unassuming bird. The coot going about its business is doing more than it appears.

Ways You Can Help Coots (and the Waters They Depend On)

• Choose plants with care. Many ornamental plants sold for ponds and landscaping can escape into nearby waterways, where they spread quickly and crowd out native vegetation. Choosing native or non-invasive plants — and never releasing pond plants into natural water — helps keep these habitats healthy. For more information, check your state’s invasive species program or native plant society.
• Keep waterways free of debris. Coots are resourceful — they’ll use what they find to build nests. But not all materials are safe. Properly disposing of fishing line, hooks, and plastic, and picking up litter along the shoreline, helps prevent entanglement and keeps harmful debris out of nests. In Florida, a statewide fishing line recycling program has placed collection bins at popular fishing sites. Many communities across the U.S. have similar programs. To find one near you — or learn how to start one — check with your state wildlife agency or visit Florida’s program.
• Give nesting birds a little space. Coots nest and raise their young along the edges of ponds and marshes, often just out of sight. Keeping dogs on leash near the shoreline helps prevent disturbance of birds and their young, especially during the breeding season.