# How do Moorhens swim so well without webbed feet?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-moorhens-swim-so-well-without-webbed-feet/347985>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 12, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-moorhens-swim-so-well-without-webbed-feet/347985 "2006-03-12T00:18:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Can_Handle_the_Truth)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-moorhens-swim-so-well-without-webbed-feet/347985/1 "2006-03-12T00:18:47Z")

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On our lake we have a lot of [Moorhens](http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Common_Moorhen_dtl.html). These birds swim as well as ducks – I’ve even seen them beat ducks in a race for food – but they have no webbing at all on their feet. So how do they swim so well? And being that they do swim so well without webbed feet, then webbed feet obviously are not necessary to be a good swimmer; so do webbed feet serve some other function besides helping to swim?