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<\/p>\nAmerican Coots are, without question, the most aquatic, common and widely distributed rail species in North America.\u00a0 Clumsy and awkward fliers,\u00a0they require\u00a0long running\u00a0take-offs to become airborne but they are skilled swimmers – largely due to their lobately webbed\u00a0toes.<\/p>\n
And oh, are they ever\u00a0ornery!<\/p>\n
But first, allow me to make a few excuses…\u00a0 These images of fighting coots were taken\u00a0several years ago when I was relatively new to photography.\u00a0 My settings weren’t particularly appropriate so I’m not including them here.\u00a0\u00a0 And most of these photos were shot in\u00a0JPEG rather than RAW, so my processing options were extremely limited when I tried to adjust exposure, so\u00a0the frustratingly white bill is pretty bright in a few of these images.<\/p>\n
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This is one of the aggressive postures used by\u00a0males to challenge other males.\u00a0 Whenever I see this I know that all hell is about to break loose and I’d better be ready.<\/p>\n
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In my experience, coots have two primary fighting strategies.\u00a0 One is for each bird to lie\u00a0on their backs\u00a0in the water while propped up by their wings and tails and strike out at each other with their feet and claws.\u00a0 In this fighting position, their defense is to try to grasp the opposing birds feet.\u00a0 Here\u00a0we get a\u00a0good look at those unusual lobed toes.\u00a0 If they become locked\u00a0together they then fight with their bills.<\/p>\n
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The second fighting strategy uses bills and wings as weapons.\u00a0 If one bird gains the advantage it often tries to force its opponent underwater.<\/p>\n
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The losing bird fights desperately to keep its head on the surface so it can breathe.<\/p>\n
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Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.\u00a0 Occasionally the fight continues with both birds under water and it’s not unknown for one of the combatants\u00a0to be\u00a0killed, though usually the loser retreats safely.<\/p>\n
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When they’re fighting on their backs they attempt to rake the breast of their opponent with their claws.\u00a0 Several times, as in this photo,\u00a0I\u00a0had the distinct impression that they also aim for the eyes.<\/p>\n
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At times the action is so explosive that you almost can’t see the coots through all of the flying water.<\/p>\n
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Typically, a fight is between two males but at times the conflict becomes so intense and confused that other coots of either sex can be drawn into the melee.\u00a0 At times, a male will even attack its own mate by mistake!<\/p>\n
All too often I ignore coots, which is\u00a0another bad habit I\u00a0need to work on.\u00a0 When the males start feeling\u00a0their oats in the springtime they can be wonderful photographic subjects if you’re into behavior photography as I am.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
American Coots are, without question, the most aquatic, common and widely distributed rail species in North America.\u00a0 Clumsy and awkward fliers,\u00a0they require\u00a0long running\u00a0take-offs to become airborne but they are skilled swimmers – largely due to their lobately webbed\u00a0toes. And oh, are they ever\u00a0ornery! But first, allow me to make a few excuses…\u00a0 These images of fighting coots were taken\u00a0several years ago when I was relatively new to photography.\u00a0 My settings weren’t particularly appropriate so I’m not including them here.\u00a0\u00a0 And most of these photos were shot in\u00a0JPEG rather than RAW, so my processing options were extremely limited when I tried to adjust exposure, so\u00a0the frustratingly white bill is pretty bright in a few of these images. This is one of the aggressive postures used by\u00a0males to challenge other males.\u00a0 Whenever I see this I know that all hell is about to break loose and I’d better be ready. In my experience, coots have two primary fighting strategies.\u00a0 One is for each bird to lie\u00a0on their backs\u00a0in the water while propped up by their wings and tails and strike out at each other with their feet and claws.\u00a0 In this fighting position, their defense is to try to grasp the opposing birds feet.\u00a0 Here\u00a0we get a\u00a0good look at those unusual lobed toes.\u00a0 If they become locked\u00a0together they then fight with their bills. The second fighting strategy uses bills and wings as weapons.\u00a0 If one bird gains the advantage it often tries to force its opponent underwater. The losing bird…<\/p>\n