Baby Coots Are Colorful

Very young American Coot

This week I found a group of American Coots with some very young juveniles. I had seen baby coots before, but I always thought they were just a dull reddish-brown in color. When I got a good look at those young coots the other day, I realized they are a colorful combination of red, yellow, and orange. Coots are among a large group of birds in which the young are precocial. That means that as soon as the young hatch they are well-developed, their eyes are open, they are active, and they are capable of moving about on their own. I would guess the little coot pictured here is not more than a few days old. He's a cute and colorful little coot, isn't he?  

American Coot juvenile with adult