Members of the rail family, coots rarely weigh more than a pound and a half. April 28, 2008 by Mike 110 Comments For the uninitiated, the word “coot” calls to mind nothing more than doddering old codgers and curmudgeons. The featherless shield gave rise to the expression "as bald as a coot," which the Oxford English Dictionary cites in use as early as 1430. The American coot has been observed rarely in … This doesn't refer to the lack of feathers on the bird's head, but to their white markings. A dark-gray water dwelling bird resembling a duck. Their dark bodies and white faces are common sights in nearly any open water across the continent, and they often mix with ducks. A foolish old man. The waterborne American Coot is one good reminder that not everything that floats is a duck. 2. With short beaks and stout bodies, they look like a ducks! A close look at a coot—that small head, those scrawny legs—reveals a different kind of bird entirely. Everything you should know about the Coot. Coots are water birds whose heads have the appearance of baldness. The coot is an afterthought among most duck and goose hunters, but perhaps it’s time the bird received proper recognition. Many, but not all, have white on the under tail. Coots are tough, adaptable waterbirds. Both drake and hen coots are grey in color but appear black from a distance. A close look at a coot—that small head, those scrawny legs—reveals a different kind of bird entirely. Coot species that migrate do so at night. What looks like a duck, floats like a duck and swims like a duck, isn’t always a duck! 1. With short beaks and stout bodies, they look like a ducks! Although they are related to the secretive rails, they swim in the open like ducks and walk about on shore, making themselves at home on golf courses and city park ponds. Coot can be seen mainly on freshwater lakes, gravel pits, reservoirs, rivers and town park lakes when deep enough. 'Bald' has several meanings, one of which is 'streaked or marked with white'. The waterborne American Coot is one good reminder that not everything that floats is a duck. The easiest way to tell the sex of a coot … What is a Coot? Usually in flocks, they are aggressive and noisy, making a wide variety of calls by day or night. Sometimes seen offshore, especially in winter if freshwater areas are frozen. Their beaks are white with a faint red strip near the tip. Seeing how the USC football sucks so consistently, it seems rather offending to good poultry everywhere to call them Gamecocks, so a "coot" is a much more realistic symbol for such an inept football program. Their dark bodies and white faces are common sights in nearly any open water across the continent, and they often mix with ducks. While the American coot resembles a duck, it is not actually a duck species. Sometimes seen offshore, especially in winter if freshwater areas are frozen. That's the meaning here, as in 'piebald', used to describe the black and white markings of a horse or other animal. Coots have chicken-like beaks, legs, and feet. 3. Coots have prominent frontal shields or other decoration on the forehead, with red to dark red eyes and coloured bills.