Moorhen or coot? Coot or moorhen?

These birds are often spotted skulking around ponds, lakes and rivers but while they may be closely related, they’re straightforward to tell apart once we know what we’re looking for.

The most obvious difference is in the colour of their beaks. Moorhens have a red beak and frontal shield (a plate-like feature which sits above its beak) with a bright yellow tip whereas coots have a white beak with a frontal shield to match.

A moorhen’s red bill and frontal shield with a yellow bill tip

A coot’s white bill and frontal shield

Differences in plumage are a more subtle giveaway.

While coots’ plumage is almost completely black, moorhens are more of a blend of dark brown, purple and blue, with ragged white lines running along their sides, and white tails.

A coot with a white bill, and black plumage, and a moorhen with a red and yellow bill and a blend of dark brown, purple and blue plumage.

Coots also have impressive grey-blue lobed feet which they use like webbed feet for swimming while moorhen have long green legs and feet that look a bit like a chicken’s.

Coots‘ impressive grey-blue lobed feet

Moorhens‘ chicken-like feet

Coots are said to make a call that sounds like its name: a honking ‘coot’ sound, but it can also make a squeaking high pitched metallic noise. Moorhen calls are a little less strident and metallic than their coot cousins: they’ve more of a bubbly creaking call. They flick their tails pretty constantly to indicate they’re alert.