Notes from a Lake: The Coot Family (part 1)

Anke Marsh

— 5 min read
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A photograph of a Coot chasing a Tufted Duck. They are both fly-walking across the lake, water is everywhere.
Mama Coot chases a male Tufted Duck for daring to sleep near her (©Anke Marsh)

A bit about Coots

The Eurasian Coot is a striking bird – very dark grey body, black head and a very, very bright white faceplate and beak. And let’s not forget their red eyes that wouldn’t seem out of place in a horror movie. But it is also a bird that is, I think, very much overlooked. They seem to be everywhere – if there’s some water, boom! You got Coots. They swim around, minding their own business and don’t seem that remarkable in any way. They aren’t rare, they aren’t showy, they are just there.

A photograph of a Coot on the lake. She is in profile, facing to the right. One leg, yellow, is sticking out to the side, used as a sort of rudder as she moves slowly across the lake.
A Coot looking relaxed. No birds to chase, no cootlings to look after. Ahhhh! (©Anke Marsh)

But when you start to watch them, you realise that there’s a whole drama that you’ve been missing. Love, sex, violence, parenthood and danger, all wrapped up and played out on a daily basis on the lake.

In fact, there’s so much drama that they are getting at least two blogs. Probably three. The first one or two (three maybe – honestly, I don’t plan these blogs out anyway) will focus on their territoriality – these guys are actually kinda scary – and another one on the cootlings themselves, those so-ugly-they’re-kinda-cute bald-headed babies that eventually turn into something quite wonderful.

According to the RSPB, there are 26,000 breeding pairs in the UK, with 205,000 individuals overwintering. Apparently the UK is the place to be according Coot influencers. They are, globally, listed as ‘least concern’ on the IUCN Red List and numbers seem to be increasing generally. However, in the last 5-10 years, they are decreasing in the UK, according to to the BTO. Climate change, habitat destruction, avian flu, predation are some of the reasons for this. They are, however, legally protected in the UK. So don’t mess with the Coots. And honestly, after reading this blog, you might want to give them a very wide berth!

Mama Coot and the Tufties

Coots are territorial. Very territorial. This is particularly the case when they have young to take care of. And it’s not simply a matter of another bird accidentally wandering into a Coot’s territory. Coots are territorial everywhere. They will wander where there's other birds and scare them off. 'My spot now!' Mama Coot of the lake is no exception.

She has seven cootlings to take care of, and her partner, Papa Coot, is always around as well. They are monogamous and it’s a very rare occasion where I only see one adult with the kids. Usually, one adult has four of the kids, the other has three. The kids constantly scream for food, the adults tirelessly dive down, grab some pond goop and feed them. It really is a two-Coot job.

But back to Mama Coot and the Tufties.

A photo of a pair of Tufted Ducks. They are both facing away from the camera. The male, black with white flanks, is on the left, looking on as his mate dives into the water. She is different shades of brown.
Mrs Tuftie is popping to the shop for that delicious pond goop everyone is raving about (©Anke Marsh)

There are at least three pairs of Tufted Ducks on the lake. But honestly, it’s difficult to know for sure. One day, it’s only a couple of males hanging out, another day, three pairs are there. A couple of days ago, there were four males and a couple of females. So, for all I know, there’s a full-blown commune in the back wet woodlands, with hundreds Tufties, taking turns on the open lake. There haven’t been any signs of breeding success as yet, so the Tufties normally just hang out on the lake, occasionally popping under water for some food, or doing some preening and snoozing. Essentially, being ducks and minding their own business. Until Mama Coot crosses their path…

Oh boy.

And this is how it plays out. Every single time. Mama Coot, Papa Coot and the little ones swim around, eating, playing, eating more, and eating again. They end up near the Tufties. The Tufties are just dozing. That’s it. And apparently existing and dozing is too much for Mama Coot. She bows her head down, red eyes glowing, feet revving under the water. She slams her wings on the water. Water goes everywhere. For a little bird, the volume of water splash is quite extraordinary.

A photo of a Coot on the lake. Her wings are up as she she brings them down onto the surface of the water. There are water droplets everwherem and water coming up from the lake as she splashes about.
Mama Coot flapping her wings on the lake surface because she is maaaaaaaad! (©Anke Marsh)

And then she’s off! She zooms towards the hapless Tufties, half flying, half running on the surface, splattering half the lake water as she goes. 'GET OUT!!!!!!'

A photo of a coot flying low across the water. There is water splash in her wake.
Mama Coot flies off to confront the danger: a pair of dozy Tufties (©Anke Marsh)

The poor Tufties, half asleep, look over and then PANIC!!!!!

A rather blurry photo of a male Tufted duck taking off from the water in the background. In the foreground is a lot of water splash and a bit of black - that is Mama Coot, splashing away.
Mr Tuftie takes off in a total panic. Look carefully - in all that water splash is Mama Coot! (©Anke Marsh)

Wings splayed, feet akimbo, they are outta there! They splash land, look over at the scary white-beaked, red-eyed waterbird. 'Is she there? Still chasing us?'

A photo of two Tufted Ducks flying across the lake. The male in the back looks fairly normal, wings out and low over the water. His mate, however, is less graceful. Her feet are dangling down and her wings are folded up, looking less than flight-worthy.
Tufties aren't the most graceful of fliers when they are in a panic (©Anke Marsh)

Nope. Mama Coot is just sitting there. Calmly feeding her kids as if nothing happened. Until the next time. And the time after that and after that.

A Coot and one of her chicks on a lake. The mama has a wad of pond algae in her beak, which she is swatting against the lake surface. The chick waits patiently for more food next to her.
This is the best place for pond goop! Eat up! (©Anke Marsh)

It’s not just the Tufties who feel the wrath of Mama Coot. But that’s for another blog!

Coot info

For more information, check out these websites

RSPB: Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)

British Trust for Ornithology

eBird

Les Oiseaux - Eurasian Coot: The Complete Guide

BirdLife Data Zone

Plucky update

Unfortunately, there’s still been no sign of the little guy. But there’s been no sign of any of the Mandarin Ducks, bar a fleeting sighting of a male deep in the wet woodlands. That area where no human shall pass. I have a small hope that Plucky is in there, somewhere. Eating, healing and keeping safe. I will keep looking for him every time I visit the lake. Fingers crossed.

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