Common Coot

Common Coot swimming

Common Coots are usually found in lakes and larger ponds. It is fairly easy to confuse them with ducks at a distance - they have the same shape. Common Coots are almost completely black, except their beak and forehead, which are, contrastingly, white. As with all water birds, it is a poor flier, and is seen mostly when swimming and searching for food.

It survives on insects and plants found in water.

Scientific name for this bird is Fulica atra.