The charity making life better by water
Making life better by water
Baby water birds are a joyful sight on canals and rivers in the spring and summer months. Learn how to identify different species with our helpful guide.
Our charity's work to keep canals alive ensures that wildlife thrives along 2,000 miles of waterways. Take a walk by your local canal and see what you can spot.
Appearance: black, fluffy body. Long, spindly toes. Red beak with yellow tip. Blue/grey ‘eyebrows’. Receding hairline-style bald patch on the forehead.
Nest: woven reed stems and water plants in a shallow bowl shape, usually built over water among living vegetation, or anchored to fallen branches and other debris. Clutches of eight eggs are common.
Behaviour: moorhens are secretive, preferring to stick to cover. Young are fed by both parents with small morsels of vegetation and water invertebrates. Older chicks will also help to feed younger siblings when their parents have a second brood.
Where to see: common across England and lowland Wales. Look out for moorhens on canals, rivers and wetlands, usually along the water’s edge and banksides with lots of vegetation.
When to see: nesting can begin as early as March and last through to mid-May. Watch out for freshly hatched youngsters from the end of April, with second broods appearing in early summer.
Appearance: black, fluffy body. Long, spindly toes. Red beak with creamy tip. Bald head with a reddish face and bright yellow fluff around the neck.
Nest: bulky platform, usually hidden in reeds and other water vegetation. Typically clutches of six eggs are laid.
Behaviour: coot parents share feeding responsibilities, bringing youngsters food from beneath the water. Look for youngsters waiting in open water for parents to resurface.
Where to see: common and widespread across most of lowland Britian. Coots prefer slow moving and still water such as canals and reservoirs.
When to see: look for youngsters from April. Although coots usually only raise a single brood per year, pairs often continue to breed after failed nesting attempts, meaning that young chicks may be spotted well into summer.
Appearance: cygnets are fluffy and light grey, with dark grey legs and beaks.
Nest: large, built-up platform of reeds and other bankside vegetation, usually on banksides close to the water’s edge. Look for between four and seven eggs.
Behaviour: cygnets stick close to their parents, both of whom help protect and feed them. When small they can sometimes be seen stealing a ride on their parents’ backs or tucked into their wings for a snooze.
Where to see: Common and widespread across most of England and Wales in both rural and urban areas. Breeding territories can be found on most stretches of water.
When to see: look for small cygnets from late April through to June. Larger cygnets can still be seen with their parents at six months old.
Appearance: typically brown with yellow faces and tummies, and a distinctive brown stripe through their eye. Sometimes entirely yellow or with patchy brown and yellow markings.
Nest: well-hidden, shallow cup lined with downy feathers. Can be some way from water, usually under bushes or in dense vegetation.
Behaviour: ducklings are looked after by their mother – the male plays no part in hatching or feeding them. They feed independently, searching across the water’s surface or among vegetation for food. Listen out for the high pitched cheeping of ducklings that have strayed too far from mum.
Where to see: common and widespread across most of Britain, including urban areas where they can become quite tame.
When to see: Mallards can have more than one brood each year, so ducklings may be spotted any time from early April to mid-summer.
Identify footprints and read fascinating facts about the creatures who make their homes along our canals and rivers
Last Edited: 01 May 2024
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