Page 28 - Kyalami issue 4 2021

Kyalami Estates Corporate Brand Bible Design 26
3.0 Folder (Inner)
ESTATE NEWS
TRAVEL
hese photos of the Redknobbed Coot
chick being fed by its parent were taken on
T24 October 2021 at St Leger Dam. The chick
is only days old.

Redknobbed Coots are found on almost any
inland body of water throughout South Africa.
They spend most of their time swimming in open
water, often chasing each other, pattering across
the water, but seldom taking flight. They find food
by foraging on the surface, diving into the water
below and also by grazing on the shoreline.

Their nests are built using water plants that are
heaped up into a bowl that floats on the water.
Breeding may take place all year round and a
clutch of eggs may be as numerous as eleven. The
incubation period is between 18 and 25 days with
both parent birds taking turns to incubate the
eggs.

The hatched chick is rather bizarre-looking, with
a bald head, reddish bill and a fringe of ginger
down around its neck. It has been observed that
often the parent birds will divide a brood between
them, with the male bird taking the greater share.
This allows the female bird more time to feed
herself, thereby building up her reserves to lay
another batch of eggs.
REDKNOBBED COOT

CHICK AT ST LEGER DAM

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ANTHONY CAVANAGH

26 Kyalami Estates • CONNECT • Issue 4 • 2021