Eurasian Coot
Fulica atra· 秧鸡科(3 photos)
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Eurasian Coot
35-38 cm. Unmistakable plain slate-grey waterhen, darker on head, with pure white bill and bill shield; legs silver-grey, toes with flattened lobes to assist swimming, diving. Immature: grey-brown, whitish below; bill greyish. Pairs, family parties, flocks: feeds ashore, in shallows, or far out on large waters in 'rafts'. Dives for plant food; skitters when taking off: sustained flight swift, with rapid, shallow wingbeats; travels mostly at night. Aggressive.
- Other name
- Common Coot.
- Similar Species
- Dusky Moorhen, Purple Swamphen: reddish bills; white undertail; neither habitually dives when foraging.
- Voice
- noisy; harsh notes, a sharp 'kyik!' or 'kyok!'; repeated raucous screeches, 'tok's, etc.
- Habitat
- large, fresh, brackish, occasionally saline waters, with underwater vegetation; permanent wetlands, town lakes, reservoirs, sewage ponds, brackish coastal swamps; occasionally on sheltered coastal inlets or sheltered waters around offshore islands.
- Breeding
- Aug.-Feb. in s. Aust., but any time when conditions suitable.
- Nest
- of sticks, swamp vegetation, grass, lignum; on bottom in shallow water or on low island, stump or log; singly or in companies.
- Eggs
- 6-7; stone-coloured, finely and evenly dotted black.
- Range & Status
- Aust. and Tas. except driest deserts, but principally e. and se. Aust., coastal and sub-coastal WA. Common; often very abundant. Nomadic; dispersive. Casual Norfolk, Lord Howe and Macquarie Is. Also NZ, PNG, Eurasia, n. Africa.
- Distribution key to races
- 1. Fulica atra australis
