The canals of the Everglades have deep water (sometimes 2 meters deep) so some birds need to stay close to the shore. The soil has eroded away from the rocks in the background. These are old coral rocks (the ocean was 4 meters higher about 100,000 years ago and covered the Everglades). The black bird on the left with a red beak is a coot. It makes a funny squeak ; can you hear it? The shiny blue bird on the right is a grackle (its voice sounds like "grakk"). The coot can swim but the grackle can't. The female grackle is brown and she is on the right side.