Reflecting

by Deena Stoddard

Title

Reflecting

Artist

Deena Stoddard

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

The waterborne American Coot is one good reminder that not everything that floats is a duck. A close look at a coot - that small head, those scrawny legs - reveals a different kind of bird entirely. Their dark bodies and white faces are common sights in nearly any open water across the continent, and they often mix with ducks. But they're closer relatives of the gangly Sandhill Crane and the nearly invisible rails than of Mallards or teal.

You'll find coots eating aquatic plants on almost any body of water. When swimming they look like small ducks (and often dive), but on land they look more chickenlike, walking rather than waddling. An awkward and often clumsy flier, the American Coot requires long running takeoffs to get airborne.

Look for American Coots at ponds in city parks, in marshes, reservoirs, along the edges of lakes, and in roadside ditches, sewage treatment ponds, and saltwater inlets or salt marshes.

This single coot was captured at the Springfield Nature and Conservation Center in Springfield, Missouri.


All images © 2011-2020 Deena Stoddard ~ All Rights Reserved

Uploaded

February 15th, 2013

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