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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing coots. Though they look kind of like ducks, coots are waterfowl of the rail family. They're more closely related to cranes than to ducks! One look at their feet and you might see why. Unlike the webbed feet of ducks, coots have crane-like feet with broad lobes of skin to facilitate their movement underwater. When they walk on land, these lobes fold back so they don't trip over their own feet! Coots also have chicken like beaks with a shield on front that helps distinguish them from other similar-looking waterfowl. The shield may also appear larger in male coots than females especially during breeding times. Compared to ducks, coots have a more chicken-like silhouette.

There are currently ten described living color species. They inhabit freshwater lakes, streams, rivers, human made ponds, and more along with brackish water swamps and sometimes even shallow, calm coastlines. They're migratory and travel to warmer areas during colder parts of the year. They live on all continents except Antarctica. In size, coots average about a pound (0.5kg) in weight and have a two foot (61cm) wingspan. When they try to take off from water, they're ungraceful and have to pump their wings hard to get airborne.

Like some ducks, coots dive underwater to find food. These birds eat fish, tadpoles, clams, aquatic vegetation, and more. Unlike ducks, coots return to the surface to eat these meals. This can lead to fights where coots use their gangly feet to push each other around. They also make noises to communicate with each other. Here are some cool call examples. Calls play an important part in coot mating.

Both parents work together to build the nest. These may be constructed on shore or even on a floating raft of vegetation! The female lays up to ten eggs, and the color depends on the species, though they're usually all speckled. These are incubated by both parents for about 20 to 30 days. The chicks are quite capable from birth and can swim within their first week of life. By the time they're two months old, they're independent. In fact, coot parents will grab their strongest babies around the neck and shake them to chase them away, ensuring the weaker siblings have more help from the parents as needed.

It takes about a year for them to reach reproductive maturity. Coots breed in summer, traveling to and from breeding grounds in flocks that can number in the thousands. It's not uncommon to see coots intermingled with other waterfowl while they congregate. On average, coots live less than a decade, but the oldest known individual more than doubled this!

Osprey and eagles take adult coots while their eggs and chicks are predated by skunks, foxes, turtles, and more.

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