Source: ALAN SCHMIERER / Flickr
Source: Flickr
The American Coot or Mud Hen is a medium-sized bird with characteristics of both a hen and a duck. They tend to waddle on land more like a chicken and swim in the water like a duck. Although it enjoys being on land occasionally, it spends most of its time swimming in the water.
Source: Flickr
Source: Flickr
The American coot is a migratory bird that occupies most of North America. During the summer breeding season, they occur in New York and Massachusetts in the northern United States, and in southern Canada. In the winter, they can be found in the southern United States from Florida to California. They are often found in park lakes, ponds, open marshes, and sluggish rivers.
Source: Flickr
Source: Flickr
Coots are easily recognized by their plump dark body, small head, thin legs, white wedge-shaped bill, and red eyes. They are famous for having unique feet that look like feathers. Their closest relatives are the Sandhill Crane and Rails.
Source: Flickr
Source: Flickr
American coots eat primarily aquatic plants. However, they do not live an exclusively vegetarian life. You may also see them eating insects (beetles, dragonflies, and others).
Source: Flickr
Source: Flickr
Coots generally build floating nests and lay 8–12 eggs per clutch. They display "conspecific brood parasitism", whereby females lay eggs in the nests of other coots' nests.
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