The Crakes, Rails and Coot Family
(Rallidae)
Order: Rails and Allies (Gruiformes)
This family includes the Coot, Moorhen and Water Rail.
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Coot
Fulica
atra
The Coot can be easily identified. It is a black water-bird, a little bit smaller than a duck. It has a rounded head, with a bright white forehead and beak. It has dark red eyes, and a rounded body.
Its feet have long toes with lobed webbing. These toes help the Coot to swim, acting like underwater paddles, pushing against the water.
The lobed toes also spread the weight of the Coot, so that it can walk atop floating plants and squelching mud at the water's edge.
During the breeding season, coots defend their territories by screaming, flapping their wings and pecking at intruders.
Habitat
Coots prefers large bodies of water such as lakes and rivers.
The Coot eats the leaves of underwater plants, and the shoots of waterside plants. They also eat insects, snails and worms.
Coots are good at diving to collect food, and will also walk on land, grazing for plant shoots.
Nest and Eggs
The nest can be spied amongst reedbeds at the water's edge. It is made simply from a pile of broken rushes. The adults breed between April and May.
Where and When?
Coots can be found throughout Britain all year long. Some of them migrate, arriving in March, and leaving in September.
They make soft mellow calls, as well as sharp shrieking sounds.
38 cm.
Fun Fact
Coot hatchlings have bright red heads!
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropus
Moorhens look a bit like Coots, but they are a bit smaller, have red foreheads and beaks (tipped with yellow) and their bodies are not rounded. Moorhens also have a white line running down each side of their bodies.
From behind, the Moorhen's white rump can easily be seen.
Another name for the Moorhen is the Waterhen.
Moorhens can be found on ponds, lakes and rivers, wherever there is vegetation growing at the edges. When Moorhens live on large lakes, they stick to the edges.
They eat a wide variety of foods including insects, worms, and slugs, as well as aquatic plants, berries and seeds.
A Moorhen makes its nest out of reeds, and lines it with grass. It is built near the water's edge, on the ground, or low down in a bush or tree. Six to twelve eggs are laid, and they are brown with reddish spots.
Moorhens can be found throughout Britain, all year long.
Moorhens often make a sharp "kurruk" sound.
33 cm.
Moorhens have long green legs and feet, with long green toes! These help them to swim, dive and run and are also ideal for walking on floating vegetation such as lilies.