AUSTRALIAN 150 PHILLIPPS: Eumsian Coot Eating Waterbird Faeces BIRD WATCHER Eurasian Coot Fulica atra Eating Waterbird Faeces -W.M.R. Plate 20 I have regularly watched Dusky Moorhens Gallinula tenebrosa at Albert Park Lake in metropolitan Melbourne engaged in the behaviour described by Starks & Peter (1991). There.are several small jetties at the north end of the lake which are used as roosts by many birds, including Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa, Eurasian Coot Fulica atra, Little Pied Phalacrocorax melanoleucos and Little Black P. sulcirostris Cormorants, and Silver Gulls Larus novaehollandiae. Frequently each jetty also has one or two Dusky Moorhens which systematically work it for the droppings of any of the roosting birds. On 21 July 1991, at about 0800 h, I was watching the birds on one of these jetties. There were about 20 Coots, 20 Silver Gulls and 12 Black Ducks. As usual there was a couple of scavenging Moorhens as well. Most of the Coots were simply roosting, but three of them were behaving much as the Moorhens were, attempting to pick up droppings from the timber planking by laying their heads to one side in order to scoop up the semi-solid morsels with the sides of their bills. Though their techniques were similar, the efforts of the Coots seemed clumsier and less effective than those of the Moorhens. There was one apparent agonistic encounter between the two species when a Coot and a Moorhen approached the same dropping from opposite directions. The Moorhen stretched out its neck and lunged at the Coot, which backed away. The only food listed for Eurasian Coots in Australia by Barker & Vestjens (1989) is plant material. Cramp & Simmons (1980) do not mention faeces in a long list of plant and animal material taken by Coots in Europe. References Barker, R.D. & Vestjens, W.J.M. (1989), The Food ofAustralian Birds, 101. I, Non-Passerines, CSIRO, Melbourne. Cramp, S. & Simmons, K.E.L. (1980), Handbook of the Birds ofEurope, the Middle East and North Africa. The Birds of the ~stern Palearctic, vol. 2, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Starks, J.R. & Peter, J.M. (1991) , 'Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa eating gull faeces', Aust. Bird Watcher 14, 69. By H.A.PHILLIPPS, 11 Marlton Crescent, St Kilda, Victoria 3182 Received 24 July 1991 • .