Coot Feet~Sweet

Howdee all,

I want you to see these feet!~ Mind you, my photos are taken with a point and shoot..wish I had a DSLR for something like this..

Notice the strange feet of the Coot. Unlike ducks and most other water birds, which have webbed
feet, the Coot has feet which are lobed.
To take off from the water, the Coot does not flap its wings and rise upward like other waterfowl are capable of doing.
Instead, Coots run over the water surface on their their feet, thrashing their wings until becoming air-borne. Their tail is
so short that it cannot be used for steering during flight. Instead, the Coot uses its outstretched feet to steer while flying.
One of the Coot’s predators is the bald eagle, possibly because the Coot becomes air borne so slowly compared to other
waterfowl. Also, Coots like open water and therefore are in plain sight when the eagle is looking for food. Typically, Coots and
Rails are weak flyers compared to ducks and geese. 
 

 

Aren't they the coolest things?…Sweet Feet!Red eye…Red dotted noggin…

(red-brown frontal shield on the forehead)A cover or raft of Coot

Hot of the presses today… my latest post at Birdingblogs.com

Featured Bird Butt Blogger of the Week

  Yeah..you read that right!

Happy Birding!