The American Coot isn’t a duck. It has webbed toes instead of webbed feet. They are noisy, gregarious members of the rail family. The coot is a medium-sized diving bird with a white bill, yellow legs, and lobed toes. The feet look oversized for this bird. The body is dark gray to black with a blackish head and neck. The male is a little larger than the female, but otherwise look alike.
Can you believe that the oldest American Coot, Â recorded in the wild, was 22 years and 4 months old. That’s kind of amazing given they are prime prey of Bald Eagles and Osprey. I think they are an attractive chubby little birds with their red eyes and white bill.
I took this photo a few years ago. I wanted to show you their unique feet.
We are currently “bit” poor. New cycle starts in two days; oh joy! Just how many times a month can one purchase extra bits?
On Sunday, with lots of bits, we are headed to an area for four night where we won’t have internet service (lots of bits, no service), unless we drive to town and sit in McDonold’s to use their “bits”.
We have done this before and feel so bad about using their bits we just have to purchase an ice cream cone. Yeah, just horrible!
I have many more photos to post and will when I can. Here is an American Coot that we saw on High Island.
In early spring, of this year, we were returning home from our winter trip and we stopped at Balmorhea State Park for a couple of days. This state park is located in Balmorhea, Texas.
This little pond, in the state park, provided the perfect feeding area for these American Coots. The sun was setting, turning the pondâs surface to a beautiful âfireâ color.
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Swimming among the ReedsFiery SurfaceTaking a BiteAmerican CootBeautiful Sunset Colors on the Pond
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