The name of this bird is matched only by its nickname: this species is sometimes called “Kickboxer,” because of its habit of lying down and attacking other birds with its legs. The Hawaiian coot, or ‘alae ke’oke’o, is the only species of coot that lives on the Hawaiian islands; these rare water birds are endangered because of a series of factorsincluding invasive plant species, oil spills, and non-native predators such as dogs.
The population of birds has RAISED from just a few individuals in the 1970s, when it was listed as endangered, to around 2,000 today.
