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At first sight, the American coot looks like a duck. It’s shaped like a duck, including its head and bill. It spends a lot of time on the water, and it hangs around other ducks. But the American coot is actually a hen, and the dead giveaway is the absence of webbed feet.
Now, if you ask me, this bird looks nothing like a hen, even with non-webbed feet. I’ll let you take a closer look at the feet of the American coot. Technically, they have “lobbed toes”, which allow them to not only swim but also walk well on uneven ground.
To me, the American coot looks like it has paddle feet so it can be good at swimming and walking. Can you imagine if your toes were shaped like this?
milkapejovic.com 
As always, you’re teaching me new things! I never even knew this creature existed. Pretty cool, though I must say, those feet aren’t the prettiest. They look like shed snake skin!
You don’t have any coots where you live? Their feet really show you that birds are descendants of reptiles, don’t they?
Very much so. I don’t know if we have any here or not, but if we do, the first thing I’m going to do is petition to change that name. 😉
Well, when you look at them, you understand why they’re called coots. They’re really weird looking. Or maybe that’s why we use coot for people, when they’re weird.
Great close ups!
Thank you very much, Cee!