Bald as a coot

[auzridge]

What is the origin of the saying bald as a coot

[tartanwiz]

Well, a coot isn't actually bald as you probably know, but it APPEARS bald because it has white feathers on top of its head. Similarly, the American Bald Eagle has white feathers on top of its head too and is not actually bald. These birds ought to protest!

[Quizmonster]

Sorry to disagree with you, Tartan, especially since it is such a long time since I last saw you, but a coot is a water-bird which actually has a bare - ie featherless - patch on its forehead, rather than white feathers. The Oxford English Dictionary has this to say about the bird: "having the base of the bill extended so as to form a broad white plate on the forehead (whence the epithet bald)."

So, this bare patch or plate...sometimes also called a shield...is the source of the 'bald' claim.