ORNAMENTAL traits such as colourful bird plumage were the prime motivation for Darwin’s theory of sexual selection(1). Other evolutionary mechanisms could also select for ornamental traits(2-6), but such mechanisms have received far less attention, and empirical evidence for their existence is weak. Here we show that parental choice selects for the bizarre ornamental plumes of newly hatched American coot (Fulica americana) chicks. Experimental manipulations of chick plumage revealed that parent coots feed ornamented chicks preferentially over non-ornamented chicks, resulting in higher growth rates and greater survival for ornamented chicks.