Common Coot

Common Coot

NL: Meerkoet
D: Bläßhuhn
F: Foulque macroule

Latin name: Fulica atra (Linnaeus, 1758)

Bird group: Koeten

All-black and larger than its cousin, the moorhen, the Eurasian coot has a distinctive white beak and ‘shield’ above the beak which earns it the title ‘bald’. Its feet have distinctive lobed flaps of skin on the toes which act in the same way as webbed feet when swimming. It patters noisily over the water before taking off and can be very aggressive towards others.

What they eat:
Vegetation, seeds, snails and insect larvae.

Measurements:
Length: 36-38cm
Wingspan: 70-80cm
Weight: 600-900g

Song/call: