COOT 187 



This bird is practically a resident in the British Isles, 

 migrating in considerable numbers to marine localities in 

 winter. In the Shetlands it appears to be chiefly a summer- 

 visitor, while on Achill Island it occurs as a winter- visitor. 

 It has been taken on several occasions at light-stations, 

 which shows that it is capable of making long migratory 

 journeys. 



Flight. The rising flight is fluttering and rather heavy, 

 but as the bird gets up it becomes more buoyant and 

 powerful on the wing. When flying, its feet extend 

 beyond the tail. 



Voice. The shrill, menacing note of the Coot is familiar 

 to most of us. On artificial waters and especially in the 

 nesting-season, we hear its voice much more often than that 

 of other water-fowl. It is hard to imitate, but may be com- 

 pared rather to the short highly-pitched bark of quite a 

 young puppy. The young bird, when more than half- 

 grown but still in the downy stage, utters a note remarkably 

 like that of the Curlew. I first became acquainted with this 

 fact a few years ago when watching Coots on the lake of 

 the Dublin Zoological Gardens. The warning-note of the 

 parent sounds like a hammer striking a brick. 



Food. The food is practically the same as that of the 

 Water-hen, while in captivity the bird will eat moistened 

 bread and biscuits. It is most interesting to watch how 

 a parent-bird will dip its beak into a piece of moist bread or 

 mashed meal and again withdraw it without opening it. The 

 beak covered with food is then presented to the brood, which 

 crowd round to pick it off. The Coot feeds chiefly by day. 



Nest. This species constructs a strong nest of flags, 

 reeds, and rushes, sometimes on a bank near the water's 

 edge, more usually in a bed of reeds surrounded by water, 

 above the level of which it is well raised. It is as a rule 

 concealed from view by the surrounding vegetation. The 

 eggs, seven to ten in number, are stone-colour, with small 

 specks of blackish-brown. 



Incubation sometimes takes place early in April, but on 

 the lakes in the West of Ireland in May and June. The 

 young take to the water a few days after they are hatched, 

 when their parents watch them assiduously, and will attack 

 and drive away other species of Water-fowl much larger 

 than themselves. 



Geographical distribution. Abroad, the Coot breeds over 

 the greater part of Europe and Temperate Asia, as far east 



