If a baby duck is called duckling and a baby goose gosling, why can't we call a baby coot a cootling?
Baby coots are actually called chicks, but for this piece let me refer to baby coots as cootlings.
Coots are mostly seen in ponds, park lakes, rivers and nature reserves. They spend more time in the water than out of it. For food, they dive to feed on aquatic plants, (like duckweed and grasses) and small invertebrates like snails and larvae from the bottom of the lake, pond or river. When they venture in the grassy parts of the park of nature reserves or gardens, they will feed on scraps and soft seeds. Coots will also eat bird seeds, which are nutritious.
Coots are monogamous, like swans and geese.
They produce two broods per season (March to July), with Mother Coot and Father Coot both incubating the eggs.
Both parents look after their babies, feeding them until the cootlings are able to dive for food after four weeks. But the cootlings will still be fed by the parents up to two months. The baby coots can fly usually by their 11th week.
Watch this video and see how parent coots look after their babies, feeding and playing with the little ones.
