Whether or not you think they’re ‘cute’, they’re definitely ‘coot’! While sampling at pHake Lake, my students and I spotted two sets of American Coot (Fulica americana) chicks. Here are some photos:
One of the mother (or father?) Coots with two chicks.
Two Coot chicks.
A Coot parent feeding the chicks.
According to “All About Birds“, the downy young with their bald red heads are alert and ready to leave the nest within 6 hours of hatching.