The American Coot and the Caribbean Coot are native coots found in Cuba. The coots are excellent swimmers even though they do not have webbed toes. These lobed-toed birds, similar to the feet of such birds as grebes, need to run along the surface of the water in order to gain enough speed to take flight.
Coots prefer shallow waters for their feeding areas. They are commonly seen throughout Cuba in lagoons, small ponds and manmade canals.