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Red-knobbed Coot (Fulicia cristata)

Description: Black with white bill and shield; red knobs above shield.
Habitat: Any wetland and fresh water bodies.
Status: Common to very common.

Interesting looking bird, do the 2 red knobs on the head have any functions ? According to my read it is the only all black waterbird, why is that ?

Very common in the Cape. Traveled to Hout Bay over the weekend and saw plenty next to the N2 in all the large water pools.

they do apparently swell during mating season
these birds are a treat to watch then, they are very territorial and spend hours chasing one another, flying just above the water, feet virtually skimming the surface, while all the other bird species ignore them and go quietly about the usual business

You will see them at permanent water, bentley, usually with just white faces, as stated, the red knobs are visible during the mating season. They are often in large numbers.

bentley, colour in animals and birds has to do with either mating (bright colours to attract) or camouflage (spots of a leopard) or indeed climate (the colouring of a Gemsbok reflects and deflects heat) so perhaps the predmoniant blackness of the coots could have something to do with the fact that they hide their tiny, extremely vulnerable young in the reeds, and I have seen for myself how difficult it is to spot the bird among the reeds

Going off topic now...

Another interesting thing is that in addition to colouring feathers, the dark pigment melanin gives the feathers extra strength and durability.
For this reason the flight feathers of most birds are black, the strengthened feathers being more resistant to wear and helping them cope with the rigours of flight. This is especially true of migratory birds whose primary feathers have to endure the stress of long and strenuous flights. White feathers on the other hand, wear down much more easily.

Photographed from the Hadeda hide at Marievale Bird Sanctuary outside Nigel, Gauteng.


Clicking on thumbnail will open larger image.

The RKC is a very common bird in the Western Cape and through much of South Africa. I have seen thousands of them but on Saturday, I had one of my best sightings of this bird.

It was around midday at Abrahamskraal in the West Coast National Park...sadly though I didn't have the best equipment with me so the photos have been zoomed in and cropped.



The sighting mostly involved 2 pairs of birds which went on at each other for about 10 minutes. I dont know what sexes they were bt the were mostly involved in hard fought duals.





Every now and then all 4 birds would come together thrashing their feet at one another...its amazing how they lie on their backs in the water. I have never seen any species of bird do this.













For me this was fascinating behaviour and wondered if this has been recorded by any other forumites??

Juvenile seen at Rondevlei (Cape Town), October 2010.

A Red-knobbed Coot chasing other birds in the water.

A Red-knobbed Coot feeding the little ones.

A Little One ...

Sleeping ???