THE COOT 



FULICA ATRA 



LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Bald Coot." 

 STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely, 

 if somewhat locally, distributed resident, given to some 

 local migration. 



RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST. 

 PAUL'S : The Coot is much rarer and more local than 

 the Water Hen in the Metropolitan area, and although 

 a casual visitor to many localities therein is usually a per- 

 manent resident only in such spots where it is carefully 

 protected. It is known as an occasional visitor to the 

 ornamental waters in the grounds of the Crystal Palace, 

 to the lake in Wimbledon Park, and to the vicinity of 

 Dulwich. It frequents the Penn Ponds in Richmond 

 Park, the lake at Osterley, Ruislip Reservoir, occasionally 

 resorts to Wembley, is found at Kingsbury and Elstree, and 

 breeds in Wanstead Park. Coots are often seen here and 

 there on the Thames, the Brent, and the Lea, but never 

 frequent such small pools as content the Water Hen. I 

 have records of this species from the Welsh Harp in winter, 

 and there must be many private waters which it frequents 

 at the same season, if it is not found on them at other 

 times. Beyond our limits the Coot is common at Tring 

 Reservoirs. A few Coots also frequent (and breed there) 

 a small, stagnant sheet of water close to the bridge over 

 the Grand Junction Canal at Northolt, and also some 

 ponds in private grounds near that place on the Sudbury 

 side. 



The Coot is not so adaptive as the Water Hen, is a 

 much shyer bird, and requires a larger expanse of water. 

 It loves large, open sheets of water where there is ample 

 space to retire from danger far from the banks, and is 

 always much more wary than its ally. It closely resembles 



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