The Beauty of Snow (17) : Coot

Not a landscape this time, but a bird whose natural habitat consists of freshwater lakes : the Eurasian Coot.
In the present bitter cold weather however and with all lakes completely frozen and snow covered, many Coots become winter victim and die of starvation !

Normally the beak of a Coot is virgin white. As you can see in the shot, the beak of this one is a bit pinkish.
I guess this is a temporarily discoloration as a result of frequently picking in the cold snow.

Dutch name : Meerkoet
German name : Blässhuhn
Latin name : Fulica atra

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