Giant Coot on the Moon

Explanation: A Giant Coot! With giant feet!

This week we are at a lowland swale in the Atacama Desert region of northern Chile, enjoying views of various waterbirds and waterfowl ... including this denizen of west central South America.

Typically found in high-altitude lakes and marshlands of the Altiplano, Giant Coots are part of the family of rails which sport Sasquatch-like feet for walking on submerged vegetation mats and even on floating emergent vegetation.

Adults are functionally flightless, although immatures may fly to disperse. That is an interesting and perhaps unique life history, where part of their life is aerial and mobile, and part is entirely terrestrial and resident. While other rail species have evolved full flightlessness, few if any are only hemiflightless, to coin a term here.

Giant Coots need a little bit of dry land above the water level for nesting. If none is available, like a most capable ecosystem engineer, they will build their own little islands that are anchored to the bottom:

Oh, and why did I name this episode "Giant Coot On the Moon?"

Well, this strip of wetland is located in the Chilean Atacama valley known as Valle de la Luna.

'Nuff said.

EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week