The coot

 

The coot (Fulica atra) is a bird in the Rallidae family. It is about 38 cm long. The plumage is black with white beak and facial shield. The legs and webbed feet are greenish. It lives in freshwater river, lakes and pond of Europe, Asia, northwestern Africa and Australia. These photos were taken at the Cerrano stream mouth.

The coot feeds on aquatic plants and invertebrates. In a rough nest of twigs, among the marsh vegetation, the female lays two broods, sometimes three, of 6-9 eggs each, which are incubated by both parents for 21-24 days. The juveniles, characterized by a gray-brown plumage with whitish throat and chest, become independent at the age of about 8 weeks.

Mario Cipollone