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Eurasian Coot on Thin Ice
Fulica atra
51.4964, -0.332112
Field Notes
Description:
All-black and larger than its cousin, the moorhen, it has a distinctive white beak and 'shield' above the beak which earns it the title 'bald'. Its feet have distinctive lobed flaps of skin on the toes, which act instead of webs when swimming. It patters noisily over the water before taking off and can be very aggressive towards others.
Habitat:
Mainly on freshwater lakes, gravel pits, reservoirs, rivers and town park lakes when deep enough. Sometimes seen offshore, especially in winter if freshwater areas are frozen.
Notes:
We recently got a lot of snow and ice from weather that blew in from Siberia. The local canal froze over and this coot made it's way over the last of it. Interestingly, it swam through the thin ice - much like a ship would do - and only got out when it could go no further. <br><br>
© Emma Simpson. All Rights Reserved.
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