American Coot and Chick

An American Coot Fulica americana feeds her chick.  Coot chicks are brightly colored to solicit parental attention.  This adaptation is called "chick ornamentation," and it has been shown that coot parents prefer chicks with more ornamentation.  Though having bright colors makes the chicks more susceptible to predation, coot parents generally produce more offspring than they can raise and care more attentively for their preferred chicks than others.  In a good year, they might be able to raise all the chicks.  Some years, they will only be able to raise a few--like this coot parent who is down to one very flashy little chick.