One of the most common birds you’ll see in Florida’s marshes, American coots are among the noisiest.
When they take off, they look like they’re running on water before they launch into the sky.
You’ll generally see them either in pairs or in large flocks, which gather together in big rafts on the water, with hundreds of birds or more.
They belong to the rail family, like gallinules (moorhens), and are found throughout North America.
They are easy to distinguish from gallinules since their bills are always white and their feathers are black.
