American Coot - Predation

Predation

The American Coot is fairly aggressive in defense of its eggs and, in combination with their protected nesting habitat, this undoubtedly help reduce losses of eggs and young to all but most determined and effective predators. American Crows, Black-billed Magpies and Forster's Tern can sometime take eggs. Mammalian predators (including red foxes, coyotes, skunks and raccoons) are able to predate coot nests even more rarely, though nests are regularly destroyed in usurpation by muskrats. Conversely, the bold behavior of immature and adult coots leads to them falling prey with relative regularity once out of the breeding season. Regular, non-nesting-season predators include Great Horned Owls, Northern Harriers, Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, American alligators, bobcats, Great Black-backed and California Gulls. In fact, coots may locally comprise more than 80% of the diet of Bald Eagles.