Stats

Lifespan

5-20 yrs

Size

Medium

Diet

Omnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Flock

Biome

Freshwater wetland

Range

Europe Asia Africa Australia

Movement

Swimming

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Herd Safety

Status

Common

About

A stocky waterbird cloaked entirely in sooty-black plumage, the Eurasian Coot is instantly recognisable by its bold white frontal shield and ivory bill. Unlike ducks it lacks webbed feet, instead using lobed toes to propel itself across ponds and lakes where it battles rivals with explosive ferocity.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A clutch of eggs is incubated in the nest, kept warm by a brooding parent until the chicks pip free.
2. 2.
   hatchling

   A naked or downy hatchling is fed in the nest by its parents.
3. 3.
   juvenile

   A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest and learns to fly and forage.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown with adult plumage.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Gruiformes

Family

Rallidae

Genus

Fulica

Species

Fulica atra