Eurasian cootBlässhuhn Fulica atra
Family: Rails, moorhens, and coots
Rounder and greyer than a moorhen, the coot is sooty black with a white bill and white frontal shield, and its lobed toes show as it clambers from the water. It dives for weed on lakes, reservoirs and slow rivers, quarrelling noisily and running across the surface to chase off rivals. In Germany it breeds commonly, stays all year and gathers in large winter flocks fed by migrants.