A squat, round-backed, low-tailed, duck-like water bird, slaty-black with a bold white facial shield and bill; often in flocks on open water, especially in winter.

Whether splashing about in quarrelsome groups on a town park lake or large reservoir, or feeding quietly on a grassy bank beside a river or – especially in winter – by the coast, Coots are among the most familiar of water birds. Except for their rather drab young, they are really quite unmistakable.