Eurasian Coot
Fulica atra
Unlike ducks, coots do not have webbed feet; instead, they have large, lobed toes that fold back with each stroke to help them walk on soft mud and swim efficiently.
- Scientific name
- Fulica atra
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Gruiformes › Rallidae › Fulica
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Freshwater lakes, wetlands, ponds, marshes, and slow-moving rivers with abundant emergent vegetation.
- Diet
- Omnivorous, feeding primarily on aquatic vegetation, algae, seeds, small fish, snails, and aquatic insects.
- Range
- Europe, Asia, North Africa, Australia
- Size
- 36-38 cm in length, 70-80 cm wingspan, weighing 600-900 grams
- Lifespan
- 10-15 years in the wild
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Wetland habitat loss, water pollution, disturbance by recreational water sports, and ingestion of lead fishing sinkers.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless but highly defensive during the nesting season. Maintain a safe distance of 5 to 10 meters from nesting pairs to avoid causing distress. If a nesting coot charges or splashes aggressively, calmly back away. In the rare event of a scratch or peck, wash the skin thoroughly with clean water and soap.
The Eurasian coot ( Fulica atra ), also known as coot , is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. The scientific name is from Latin; Fulica is "coot", and atra is "black". It is found in Europe, Asia, Australia and parts of Africa. The Australian subspecies is known as the Australian coot .
Photo: Roger Culos, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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