Habitat
Hawaiian Coots breed on natural freshwater ponds, flooded fields, reservoirs, sewage-treatment ponds, and brackish fish ponds at low elevations. Wandering individuals may use stock tanks, mountain streams, golf course ponds, and brackish to saltwater estuaries.
Back to topFood
Hawaiian Coots feed on seeds, leaves, aquatic plant stems, and mollusks. They obtain food by both dabbling and diving.
Back to topNesting
Nest Placement
Typically placed on the water surface near the outer edge of emergent vegetation and anchored to thick floating algal mats or plant stems. Small islets and human-made fish-pond walls are also used as nest sites.
Nest Description
A bowl placed within a large platform-shaped pile of vegetation. The platform can be up to 1 meter (3 feet) thick and may contain a ramp that allows birds to enter and leave. Nesting materials include bulrush, grasses, twigs, and branches.
Nesting Facts
| Egg Description: | Light tan with brown and purple speckling. |
Behavior
Hawaiian Coots pump their heads forward while swimming, and then pick at surface plants, stick their heads underwater, and sometimes launch into full dives. They also walk on land, where they feed on grasses. They are awkward fliers and typically have to run across the water while flapping their wings in order to take flight. Outside of the breeding season, Hawaiian Coots may form large flocks, with frequent fighting and chasing between individuals.
Back to topConservation
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists Hawaiian Coot's conservation status as Near Threatened, with a moderately small population estimated at 1,250–1,750 mature individuals. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists Hawaiian Coot as Endangered.
Back to topCredits
BirdLife International. 2023. Fulica alai. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023: e.T22692920A218635331. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T22692920A218635331.en.
Floyd, Ted (2025). Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada. Eighth edition. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.
Pratt, H. D. and I. L. Brisbin Jr. (2020). Hawaiian Coot (Fulica alai), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.hawcoo.01
Pratt, H.D., Bruner, P.L. and Berrett, D.G. (1987). A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Raine, H. and A. F. Raine (2020). American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Hawai'i. Scott & Nix, Inc. New York, NY, USA.