Coot

Coots and moorhens are often seen on rivers, canals, ponds and lakes in the UK, but which is which? The most obvious difference is that the bill of a coot is white and that of a moorhen is red, although there are other distinguishing features.


Appearance

The coot (Fullica atra, not to be confused with Fullica americana, the American coot) is a member of the rallidae family of birds, which includes rails and crakes, so, although it is often found in the company of ducks, it does not have the webbed feet of a duck. However, it does have flaps of skin on the toes that act in a similar way to webs. It is about 38 centimetres long (15 inches) and is almost entirely slatey-black (the underparts being slightly lighter in tone) apart from the white bill and front of the head. This white patch, which extends to above the eyeline, is what gives rise to the expression “bald as a coot”, although the coot is no more bald than is the “bald eagle”! Males and females look very similar.


Behaviour and feeding

Coots are waterbirds that are not particularly good flyers. When in flight, their legs and feet stick out behind in a way that could be mistaken for a long tail. They take off from water by paddling along to get up speed, and land with a splash, breast first. They swim with the head constantly in motion, back and forth. They frequently dive for food but do not stay under the water for long.

The food of coots consists of water-plants, grass and seeds, supplemented during the breeding season with insects, larvae, molluscs, crustaceans and tadpoles. Coots sometimes take the eggs and newly-hatched young of other birds, should their nests be left unguarded. In turn, young coots are vulnerable to attack by land predators, such as foxes and rats, and pike, which have grown in number in the canals that coots have colonised so successfully.

In the winter, coots often roam further afield, such as to estuaries, where they can gather in large numbers, joined by winter visitors from other parts of Europe.


Breeding

The breeding season starts in March, with the males aggressively challenging each other for mates. When a pair is formed, a nest is built in the reeds or rushes close to the water but not right at the edge. The nest itself is constructed from grass and reeds, often with plant stems bent over the top to form a “roof”. A ramp of leaves often leads from the nest down to the water.

The clutch is from six to nine eggs, which are incubated by both parents for up to 24 days. As the chicks hatch, the male bird leads each of them down to the water for their first swim, coming back for each one in turn. Both birds feed the young, by placing the food directly into their beaks.

© John Welford