Birds · Gruiformes · Rallidae

Eurasian Coot

Fulica atra

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Its striking white frontal shield gave rise to the English expression 'as bald as a coot', recorded since the 15th century. When food is short, the parents may deliberately kill the weakest chick in the brood.

Weight

600 g – 1 kg

Size

36 cm – 42 cm

Lifespan

10 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

FreshwaterOmnivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Freshwater

47countries 207parks9same family

Fun facts

reproducciónThe chicks hatch in striking red and orange down, which may help the parents tell them apart and favour particular ones.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Freshwater lakes, ponds and wetlands of Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and North Africa
Birth weight: Exact weight at hatching not found as a precise figure
Size at birth: Precocial, covered in black down tipped yellow-orange with a red face, strikingly unlike the adult
Sexual maturity: 1 year
Gestation / incubation: 21-26 days
Litter / clutch size: 6 to 10 eggs per clutch