While it's only a guess, I'd bet that the odds are that the otter found the
coot injured or dead, rather than having caught and killed a healthy coot.
But as a mustelid - a member of the weasel family, famed for their ability
to kill prey that is relatively large for the size of the predator, I could
imagine it is within the realm of possibility that it caught a healthy coot
off guard and killed it. But no, before this I don't remember reports of
River Otters eating birds. It does though bring to mind the image from this
past fall of an otter that was eating spawned out Chum salmon in Piper's
Creek at Carkeek park, so they do eat relatively large dead animals.

Stewart Wechsler
Ecological Consulting
West Seattle
206 932-7225
ecostewart at quidnunc.net

-Advice on the most site-appropriate native plants
and how to enhance habitat for the maximum diversity
of plants and animals
-Educational programs, nature walks and field trips
-Botanical Surveys
.

-----Original Message-----
From: AMY DAVID SHUMANN [mailto:daccshumann at msn.com]
Sent: Monday, February 05, 2007 10:03 AM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] coot-eating otter


Hi Tweets, a friend reported that she recently saw an otter in Lake
Washington eating a coot. She said it was eating the coot while floating on
it's back in the water - just the way she'd seen otters eating shellfish. I
have never heard of otters eating birds. Anyone else?

Amy
Seattle
daccshumann at metrokc.gov




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