Coot-ie alert!
The endemic ΄Alae ke΄oke΄o, or Hawaiian coot, lives in fresh and brackish wetlands throughout the Hawaiian Islands.
They also favor kalo fields, water reservoirs, and aquaculture ponds. A few adventurous coots even make their home in Lāna‘i City's wastewater treatment ponds.
Though their territory is broad, ΄Alae ke΄oke΄o are still at high risk of habitat loss. The State Department of Land and Natural Resources estimates that we've lost just over 30% of our coastal wetlands in Hawai΄i. Researchers expect that number to grow as a result of climate change, which will further endanger our native waterbirds.
Manu Minute, Hawaiian coot Spectrogram video.mp4
Audio credit: Tim Burr/Macaulay Library at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (ML236854).