For some days my eye was caught by a Coot ‘waving’ at me. As it swam by, some way off, one leg was raised in the air in time with the other paddling. Progress seemed nevertheless normal, but something was not right. I mentioned it to Tim Reed, who is out and about more regularly than I am these days, and he sent me a photo, quickly taken on The Quay. He also offered to write a ‘Sighting’ for me with some background information on Coots, and a possible explanation for this individual’s disability Eventually Waving Coot swam by the house close enough for me to capture a short video to show how well he gets about. Tim’s account follows. And then the video.

Coots are not thespians. When an actor says ‘break a leg’ to a colleague, it is a term of support, hope even. In Coot language, that nuance may be missing, or misunderstood.

Coots, despite a black and white garb that makes them look like aquatic nuns, are aggressive, and have a distinct peck order. That hierarchy is dynamic, but maintained through fights. In most cases, a high-ranking Coot will squawk at a competitor, saying something apparently quite direct, and the loser will slink off. The winner will give a short honk, or even rise out of the water to flap its wings, before dropping back, resetting, and returning to the mundane job of eating weed or other items.

Sometimes, that entreaty isn’t enough. If the prize at hand is a good feeding area, or perhaps a mate, then slinking away isn’t an option. Instead, after a period of skirting around each other and honking, the two birds will fight.

Sitting back on their haunches, like two men in opposing armchairs, the birds will flail – accurately – at each other, clashing feet and legs, and sometimes visibly drawing blood. The force of the thrashing about isn’t to be underestimated, and can result in serious damage.

In late winter and early spring wildlife charities are inundated with calls about injured coots – bloodied, limping or with oddly angled legs. Their advice is leave alone, or if very affected catch and bring in for rehabilitation.

What happens to an injured Coot that lost a fight? If minor, a bit of skulking suffices, and a drop down the hierarchy from which it will need to recover. For a bird living on average seven years, there is a good reason to seek to be a prime bird – food, mates and general first pickings.

If the damage is more severe, then options are simpler. If the bird can’t walk, or swim, then feeding above or below water is going to be hard, as is escape from predators.

In the summer of 2025, a Coot was noticed opposite Holt Island with a broken leg. On first sighting it seemed to have a rudder or flag behind the body. That was actually its leg, twisted, and switching like a rudder to slipstream as the bird swam forward at a reasonable pace. It seemed to be feeding on the surface well, and paddled over to rushes where it hauled itself out rather gingerly.