American Coot

These birds are not ducks. They do not have webbed feet and actually look more like chicken feet. Each toe has a lobe of skin to help it swim. These guys stay in large numbers during the winter. They build floating nests that are anchored to a stalk in freshwater wetlands, marshes, swamps, and lakes. Since they live in wetlands they can accumulate toxins from agricultural runoff, industrial waste, and more. Since they are very common and widespread they may be good indicators of the environment's health problems.

This bird is of the Rail (Rallidae) family and in the Gruiformes order.