Rails, Gallinules & Coots

Eurasian Coot

Blässhuhn

Fulica atra

Rails, Gallinules & Coots15 photosFirst seen: 30 August 2026

The Eurasian Coot is a common rail of open freshwater across Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia. It swims readily but has lobed rather than webbed toes and can be strongly territorial during the breeding season.

ID tip: The black body and bright white bill and frontal shield are unmistakable. In flight the long trailing feet and narrow white rear edge to the wing can be visible.

First seen: 30 August 2026 · Nordende des Zürichsees · 15 photos in the collection.

Places in my records

Locations where this species is supported by a dated first record, an unambiguous single-place outing or a reviewed assignment.

Lake Skadar4 September 2026 Nordende des Zürichsees30 August 2026

Family: Rails, Gallinules & Coots (Rallidae)
Length: 36–42 cm
Wingspan: 70–80 cm
Regional status: Year-round resident (Switzerland)
Conservation: Least Concern LCIUCN Red List · retrieved 30 August 2026
Habitat: Lakes, ponds, canals and slow rivers with open water and waterside vegetation
Diet: Aquatic plants, algae, seeds and small invertebrates

Built from verified occurrence records, not drawn by hand. Core range = the countries holding 99% of all records; the rest are scattered or vagrant records. Record counts track where people watch birds as much as where the birds are, so the map shows presence, not abundance. Data: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). Basemap: Natural Earth.

Selected photographs

Complete photo archiveAll 15 published photographs of this species, including the selected main gallery.Open all 15 photos in the archive →