Although the coot and the moorhen superficially look very similar (and they are both members of the rail family) they are quite different.
To look at, the moorhen appears black but, on closer examination, is in fact a dark reddish brown and has a red beak and frontal shield. The moorhen also has highly visible white flashes in its wings and especially in its tail.
From a distance you can tell a moorhen from a coot because of its different shape. It is a more slender bird and has a much more pronounced fan shaped tail.
The feet of moorhen are less padded that those of a coot and that reflects the fact that they spend less time on muddy surfaces and more time on grassy river banks and other harder surfaces.
The moorhen is quite common as it is an adaptable bird, always found near water but any patch of water that is surrounded by vegetation will do be that a river, pond or marsh and can even appear in parks and large gardens. It does have a preference for fresh water rather than saline.
Less gregarious than a coot and less inclined to look for conflict it is a shy bird, easily alarmed if taken by surprise and yet quite tame and will feed happily whilst you walk nearby provided it knows you are there.
Birders call this the 'moron', which reflects the closeness of the names not the nature of the animal!
Reddish brown in color. It must be pretty. It's good color specially when it is shiny.
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