Who is my mummy?

[Jason Green]

Originally Posted by Amoeba

Does anyone know if coots have that 'third eye' that some reptiles and birds have on the top of their heads? (a thin part of the skull that takes in light and makes it detectable from the top of the head)

What? They do?

Which ones...

[jonnyblades]

moorhens or coots

[Amoeba]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

What? They do?

Which ones...

I'm really not sure. A lot of lizards use it to detect looming overhead predators. Some birds have it to detect changes in hours of daylight and become sexually active or migrate at the correct times.

Coots I'm clueless about, just trying to figure out a reason for the bald patch. Maybe it's to detect shadows from predators too, but I don't want to speculate too much until someone knowledgeable comes along.