EN
The basis for the work was provided by the stomach contents of 120 coots which were shot in the springs and autumns of the years 1988-1990 at the Zegrzyński Reservoir. Representatives of the Mollusca were found to constitute 77% of the food contents, with detritus accounting for 14.9% and gastroliths for 8.1%. Finally, plant tissue was found to make up less than 0.5% of the contents. A significant difference was noted in the amounts of food taken in different seasons of the year. Coots took more food in autumn than in spring (and the extra was mainly in the form of molluscs). The results are at variance with those in the literature since plant food is generally stated to predominate (making up 80-90% of the total), with animal food constituting the remainder of stomach contents. The difference is considered to result from differences in the environment in which the research was done.