American Coot Observation

Revise this. Breeding months for the American Coot are May and June. Reproduction begins by finding a mate. Both the male and female coots will show off for potential mates. One such position that is used is a bowed head, which displays courtship in the search for a mate. Another gesture is billing which is used between potential mates while searching for a mate. Bowing always come after the coot has found a mate. The obedient Coot starts by going into a bow and presenting its head or neck to the dominant Coot for it to begin nibbling. During the nibbling process the dominant bird runs its beak through the feathers of the other bird. Sometimes the beak is completely buried in the back feathers of the other bird. Both females and males can

Males are mostly limited to a cough sounding call. If during a chase where the male is chasing the female and the female does not want to participate in mating activity with that male she will stop flying, turn to face him and deliver a "tack, tack" call. That call stops the chase and both Coots continue doing what they were doing before the chase. The female has a nicer sounding call than the male. When the female is on a platform looking for a mate she will make low, nasal sounding "punt, punt" or "put, put" calls or a sharper, clearer "tuk, tuk" call. Also while in the pursuit for a mate the Coots will splash around in the water and make chirping type calls to each other. Once a mate has been found and courtship occurs, the male and female will build a nest together. These nests are floating nests at the edges of marshes, swamps, or ponds. The nest is sturdy and will not float away because it is held down by vegetation the Coots can find. Since the American Coot is a migratory bird every year when it returns to a breeding ground it will have to make a new nest since the nest previously made will not be as strong or even present at the