All dark bird in the rail family. Adult: Pure black head with slightly paler grayish-black body and wings. Red eye. White bill and white frontal shield on forehead. Long yellow-green legs and extremely long toes. In flight, shows feet protruding beyond tail tip. Juvenile is similar to adult, but has slightly paler underparts. Eurasian Coot differs from American because of all dark undertail coverts and all white bill and shield. (Some American Coots have all white shields).

Length: 36 (cm) Wingspan: 70 (cm)

Habitat:

Lakes and ponds, freshwater wetlands, marshes, slow moving creeks and lawns.

Behavior:

Often aggressive. When food is very scarce, parents may actually kill their young.

Feeding:

Diet consists of plant material, small fish, amphibians, insects and mollusks.