Manu Minute: The ʻAlae Keʻokeʻo, a Real Coot-ie

By Patrick Hart,

Ann Tanimoto-Johnson, Savannah Harriman-Pote

Published August 18, 2021 at 3:50 PM HST

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1 of 3 — ΄Alae ke΄oke΄o: Image 1

΄Alae ke΄oke΄o or Hawaiian coots are small waterbirds that are endemic to Hawai’i. Both male and female Hawaiian coots have black heads, with slightly lighter dark grey bodies and a bit of white in their undertail feathers.

Ann Tanimoto-Johnson / HPR

2 of 3 — ΄Alae ke΄oke΄o: Image 2

Unlike ducks, Hawaiian coots have very unique feet that are lobed and are green-grey in color. Although they might be a little strange looking, they're far better adapted to walking on land.

Ann Tanimoto-Johnson / HPR

3 of 3 — ΄Alae ke΄oke΄o: Image 3

΄Alae ke΄oke΄o construct floating nests, almost like boats, out of vegetation and debris. Oftentimes, they're free-floating in ponds and wetlands, but sometimes they will be anchored to emergent vegetation, as seen in this photo. This nesting behavior helps them to avoid introduced predators like cats and dogs.

Ann Tanimoto-Johnson / HPR

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).