The Black Coot is one of my favorite species despite being a rather unsocial fellow. One thing that surprise me is the call one would expect the m to sound like a duck but instead it more like a "beep".
It is a very large, black coot with a bright yellow bill. In place of a frontal shield, it has a large black proboscis. It's legs are olive green.
It is commonly known to hunters by the names "black coot" and "butter-nose coot" the former because of the colour of its plumage and the latter because of the strange butter coloured protuberance at the base of the male's bill.
The black coots are more adapted to open water than their relatives, and some other large species are called gallinules and swamphens. The largest of this group is the Takahe, at 65 cm (26 inches) and 2.7 kg (6 lbs).
 See also: Coot, Scoter, Flier, Gallinule, Crake
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