|Positive ||RosinaBloom ||On Dec 11, 2012, RosinaBloom from
Waihi New Zealand wrote: The Australasian Coot were rare
vagrants until the 1950's when they were confirmed as New
Zealand breeders in 1958 at Lake Hayes in Central Otago. Since
then their range has expanded widely and they are well
established. They favour reed- bordered lakes rather than swamps
frequented by other rails. At lake Virginia in Whanganui they
have become tame enough to compete with ducks for bread and
grain, taking food almost from the hand. Coots are thought to be
capable of breeding as one year olds from August to February.
Their nests are big bowls lined with rootlets and raupo in a
tangle of willow roots with overhead willow cover. Floating
nests have been reported. Five or seven creamy white eggs that
are uniformly dark spotted and oval with distinctly contrasting
blunt and pointed ends, are incubated for 22 days by both
parents. The feeding behaviour of New Zealand coots suggests
that they are mainly vegetarian. They are highly m