RAILS, GALLINULES and COOTS
COOTS
American Coot
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RAILS, GALLINULES and COOTS |
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COOTS |
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American Coot |
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| This is the only coot in North America | Chomping on local vegetation. |
| GALLINULES | |
| Common Moorhen | |
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| This bird used to
be called the "Common Gallinule," but the name was changed,
bowing to international nomenclature.
Just look at the size of those FEET! Perfect for marching across lily pads and water hyacinths, to eat vegetation, snails and insects! |
Eggs are laid one
day at a time. (Unlike with ducks) incubation starts with the first egg,
and thus the young are born over a period of two weeks. Within a month, the mother is starting another nest, but the now-brown-colored youngsters remain with the family, and help care for the next group. |
| Purple Gallinule | |
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| Purple Gallinule - female | Immature |
| RAILS | |
| Clapper Rail | |
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| "Listen to that frog!" - THAT's not a frog, it's a Clapper Rail! | We were lucky to see this extremely secretive, amazingly handsome bird step out of the marshes at the Baytown Nature Center! |