A newly hatched American coot chick shows off its colorful ornamental plumes, beak, and naked head. The bright colors of coot chicks help their parents choose favorites, according to a new study. The ...

A small duck-like bird, the American Coot’s black body, red eyes, and white beak makes it one of the more easily identified waterfowl. A flock of coots is sometimes called a “commotion” or a “swarm.” ...

A study examines ornamentation in juvenile American coots. Ornamental traits, such as bright-colored plumage, are known to benefit courtship and increase mating success in animals. However, the ...

Ever heard of an American coot? I hadn’t until I joined a few birder groups and saw photos of the bird, which is has quite a dramatic look. It’s a plump, dark grey bird with a bright white triangular ...

What looks like a duck, floats like a duck and swims like a duck, isn’t always a duck! My wife Laurie and I were reminded of this while watching American coots during our winter vacation in Southern ...

American coots hang out with ducks, and so it is tempting to describe the coot as an odd duck. But the coot is not a duck at all but a member of the rail family. It's more closely related to moorhens, ...

While I was strolling around the lake one evening, I observed a young woman being mobbed by a crowd of avian groupies. They were about the size of a chicken with dark gray feathers, bright-white bills ...

American coot, Fulica americana, also known as the mud hen or marsh hen, photographed at Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, San Luis valley in Colorado (USA). Image: Dave Rintoul, 8 August 2011 ...

The American coot is a somewhat drab water bird with gray and black feathers and a white beak, common in wetlands throughout North America. Coot chicks, however, sport outrageously bright orange and ...