American coot arcing formations, and sequential take-off dynamics. The American coot can dive for food but can also forage and scavenge on land. Their principal source of food is aquatic vegetation, especially algae. Yet they are omnivorous, also eating arthropods, fish, and other aquatic animals. During breeding season, coots are more likely to eat aquatic insects and mollusks—which constitute the majority of a chick's diet. The coot mating season occurs during May and June. Coot mate pairings are monogamous throughout their life, given they have a suitable territory. A typical reproductive cycle involves multiple stages: pairing, nesting, copulation, egg deposition, incubation, and
Hawaiian coot between 1,500 and 3,000 birds. Recent surveys estimated winter populations fluctuating around 1,500 birds and a summer population fluctuating around 2,000 birds. Hawaiian coot The Hawaiian coot ("Fulica alai"), also known as the alae kea in Hawaiian, is a bird in the rail family, Rallidae, that is endemic to Hawaii. In Hawaiian, alae is a noun and means "mud hen". Kea or its synonym keo is an adjective for "white". It is similar to the American coot at in length and weighing around . It has black plumage and a prominent white frontal shield. Its natural habitats are freshwater lakes,