Diet and behaviour of young American Coots

Abstract

Young Coots became herbivorous with age and their dependence on adults for food declined as they grew. Adult involvement changed from providing food and shelter to merely providing a secure area for the young to forage. Young Coots less than 30 days old ate 84% animal matter; by 60 days of age the amount had declined to 21%. When 30-59 days old, they spent 53% (332 kJ day^-1) of their time feeding of which 5.5% was spent begging food from adults. This compared to 30% (81 kJ day^-1) for young Coots <30 days old who spent 44% of their foraging time begging. The dominant animal food item was insects. The average energy cost for daily activities of the three age classes calculated from time-budget studies ranged from 270 to 870 kJ day^-1. By the time the young were 60 days old (Class C) their feeding and other behavioural activities were very similar to adult birds.