The American coot is a dark, duck-like bird with a white bill. (Mdf/Wikimedia Commons)
The American coot is a dark, duck-like bird with a white bill. It visits the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers, creeks and wetlands from autumn through spring.
Appearance:
Dark, grayish-black body
White, chicken-like bill with black on the tip and a red area on the forehead
Red eyes
White patches under the tail
Greenish or yellowish legs
Large feet with lobed toes
Grows to 16 inches
Habitat:
Found on the fresh and brackish waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers, creeks, wetlands and marshes
Also lives on open lakes, ponds and reservoirs
Often forms flocks on the water
Range:
Visits the Chesapeake Bay watershed from autumn through spring
Found both inland and near the shore
Migrates to its western and northern breeding grounds in spring
Feeding:
Feeds mostly on bay grasses such as redhead grass, sago pondweed and wild celery
Will also eat small fish, insects and invertebrates
Feeds by diving for its food in deeper waters or “tipping up” its tail and submerging its head underwater in shallow waters
Predators:
Ospreys and bald eagles prey upon coots
Voice:
Makes short croaks, clucks and cackles that sound like kuk-kuk-kuk
Reproduction and Life Cycle:
Does not breed in the Bay region
Breeds in the Midwestern and western United States and in southwestern Canada
Can live to 9 years old
Other Facts:
Although they look like ducks, coots are actually a type of rail
Easily identified by its strange behavior of bobbing its head back and forth while swimming
Better adapted to living in the water than many other birds
