# 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.

- **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.

## About

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 .

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/2e0f335c-a78e-4caf-93f9-4063b9f2a1e6
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/482
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulica atra
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/50152632/medium.jpg (Roger Culos, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.