The coot needs more water than the moorhen because it completely possesses and lives by the silhouette of a diving duck. While diving, it usually looks for its food. So it prefers to stay on open water as long as there is enough food to be found. Out of necessity, it sometimes forages on land. The rallidae do not have flippers but the coot has another aid namely lobed toes. This allows it to dive very well and quite deep.
It is a slate black bird, its head and neck are slightly darker and it has a large white blaze that runs higher than the eye. The coot is a common breeding bird with the same foraging behavior as the moorhen. Chicks have a rust-red, almost naked head, while those of the moorhen are completely black. The coot breeds until a stretch in August. During the winter, they also fall victim to the cold. The coot does not tolerate other breeding birds in its vicinity.