What they like

Quiet, shallow water with messy edges. Think: reeds, cattails, water plants and a bit of mud. Give it a bank that isn’t neatly mown. Leave a strip of at least a metre of rough vegetation along ditches or ponds. In parks or gardens: make a wildlife‑friendly bank and leave some leaves and branches piled up. On the homestead: a pond with gentle, sloping sides works like a magnet.

Ecological role

Coots are the gardeners of the water: they mainly eat aquatic plants and algae and so keep growth in balance. Their nests and chicks are food for predators such as foxes and large birds of prey. And yes, pike will sometimes take a youngster too.

When in the Netherlands

All year round. Many birds stay put; in winter extra coots move in.

Status

Common. Their success tracks the quality of our water: the more natural the bank, the better the breeding success.