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Deviousness `anmari has been spreading her infectious positivity throughout our community for over 6 years. Throughout this time Ana has been at the core of all things devious, passionately developing an eclectic gallery, helping organise devmeets, participating in chat events and also recently completed dedicating her time as a Community Volunteer. We are absolutely delighted to bestow the Deviousness Award for May 2013 to `anmari, congratulations! Read More
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Sta.sh
lovely shot though! <3
Loon: [link]
Coot: [link]
Loons and coots aren't closely related, though they do share similar lifestyles as waterbirds and look rather alike with their snappy black-and-white plumage. They belong to different orders of birds: loons are assigned to their own order, Gaviiformes, whereas coots are in order Gruiformes, which is a diverse group including cranes, rakes, and rails.
Beyond the commonality of an aquatic lifestyle, they have some pretty major physical and behavioral differences. Loons are arguably more aquatic than coots, having completely webbed feet and legs set so far back on their bodies that they consequently can't walk well on land. These webbed toes and back-set legs make loons excellent divers, and loon diets tends to be carnivorous/piscivorous (lots of fish and aquatic invertebrates). In contrast, coots have longer legs without webbing between the toes, allowing them to be more mobile on land; with their long toes, they can walk pretty proficiently across the muck and mire of a wetland area. Though coots can and do dive below the water's surface to forage, they're nowhere near loon-tier in terms of dive ability and maximum depth. Their diet is a bit more varied than a loon's, too, including more plant matter.
When it comes to trying to ID those two species at it distance, it's worth noting that coots tend to sit high up in the water whereas loons have a very low profile. Loons also have more pointed, slender bills with a slightly upturned profile.
Hope that helps answer your question!