American Coots (Fulica americana) have strange-looking feet. I mistakenly assumed that coots had webbed feet, like ducks, and was shocked recently when I saw one out of the water to see that is definitely not the case.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology website had this description of their feet ”
“Although it swims like a duck, the American Coot does not have webbed feet like a duck. Instead, each one of the coot’s long toes has broad lobes of skin that help it kick through the water. The broad lobes fold back each time the bird lifts its foot, so it doesn’t impede walking on dry land, though it supports the bird’s weight on mucky ground.”
Recently at the edge of the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia, I came upon this coot that seemed to be grooming itself. After a short time, it assumed a pose that reminded me of the crane kick position that featured so prominently in the movie The Karate Kid. Perhaps the coots have their own martial art.
Eventually the coot became aware of my presence and stopped what it was doing and looked in my direction. There was a disapproving look in its intense stare and it almost looked like it was giving me the evil eye.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
That is a very strange looking foot. Nature has it all figured out!
Great shot of that evil eye, and funny feet!
I have long been amused by the coot’s wildly disproportionate and amusing feet but have never been able to get a good photograph of them. You got them in all their glory. Congrats!
Thanks, Lyle. I considered using the difference in pronunciation between coot and foot as the way to start the post (it seems like something you might do), but opted to focus on their appearance. As I recall, there is no shortage of coots where you live. Do you call them American Coots too? (Yes, I know Canadians are Americans too).
I’m not sure how that coot/foot thing would work but it sounds like it has potential.
Yes I call them American coots and you remembered correctly. I’m not sure the expression ‘old coot’ made it your way (haven’t heard it in a while) but it’s not a term of endearment. Given that, there’s a bit of humour in name Canadian coot now that I think of it. Maybe that’s a post!
Strangely enough it was the feet that drew my eye; how unusual.
Who knew? I’ve only ever seen coots swimming. I love the “puk” sound they make. Love your comment about the evil eye.
The eye is sometimes a really intense red, making the coots look like they are possessed by demons.
I’d have expected webbed feet too. How strange.
[…] When the eagle had partially consumed its meal, it flew to another tree. In the final photo you can see the dangling feet of the prey. Unlike ducks that have webbed feet, coots have lobed feet with long toes and you can see some of those toes in the last image. If you would like to get a closer look at a coot’s feet, check out my December 2014 blog post entitled “Coot feet.” […]