American Coot

water birds · wetlands · North America · peculiar feet

Lobed, not webbed. Instead of duck-like webbing, coots have strange flat scales on their toes that fold back like origami when they walk on land. This weird design helps them get around both in water and on shore.

Not actually ducks. Even though coots hang out with ducks and look similar, they belong to a completely different family called Rallidae. They are only distantly related to ducks, kind of like how humans and apes are cousins but different.

Wetland homes. Coots love living near water in marshes, lakes, and ponds across North America. They're usually found in groups called covers or rafts, which sounds way cooler than a flock.

Long, long lives. The oldest coot ever recorded made it to 22 years old, which is pretty impressive for a bird. That's like living through more than two decades of adventures on the water.

Mud hen nickname. Some people call coots mud hens because they love splashing around in muddy wetlands and marshes. The name pouldeau comes from old French, showing coots have been around for a very long time.