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American Coot

Fulica americanaOrder: GRUIFORMESFamily: Rails and Coots (Rallidae)

American Coot Portrait
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General

American Coot: Medium-sized, chicken-like swimming bird, dark gray to black overall except for short, white bill and undertail coverts. Toes are lobed, not webbed. Upper edge of frontal shield is red, but usually only visible at close range. A few varients have have white frontal shields. Sexes are similar. Juveniles are paler and have duller bill.

Range and Habitat

American Coot: Breeds from British Columbia, western Canada, and New York locally southward. Usually spends winters north to British Columbia, Kansas, Illinois, and Massachusetts. Preferred habitats include open ponds and marshes. Found on coastal bays and inlets, often occurring in large rafts during winter.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"ke-yik", "k-rrk"

Interesting Facts

 Even though the American Coot swims like a duck, they do not have webbed feet, the toes have lobes on the sides of each segment.

 Coots are kleptoparasitic, which means that when they don’t feel like hunting for their own food, they’ll steal their meal from other birds.

 They are nicknamed "marsh hen" or "mud hen" because of they way their heads bob when they walk or swim.

 A group of coots has many collective nouns, including a "codgery", "commotion", "fleet", "shoal", and "swarm" of coots.



Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for American Coot
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family Coot (Rallidae)_blue
Species Fulica americana
Length15 Inches
Wingspan25.5 Inches

American Coot

American Coot: Medium-sized, chicken-like swimming bird, dark gray to black overall, short, white bill and undertail coverts. Toes are lobed, not webbed. Upper edge of frontal shield is red, but usually only visible at close range. Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats, feet protrude past tail.

● Song: "ke-yik", "k-rrk"

● Foraging & Feeding: American Coot: Feeds on plant materials, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, snails, worms, and sometimes bird eggs; forages by tipping, diving from the surface, or walking along shorelines.

● Breeding & nesting: American Coot: Two to twelve black and brown marked, pink to buff eggs are laid on a shallow platform of dead leaves and stems, usually on water but anchored to a clump of reeds. Incubation ranges from 21 to 25 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: American Coot: Common Moorhen has a red bill with a yellow tip, white stripe along the flanks, and brown back.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats., Feet protrude beyond tail.
American Coot Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: American Coot: Breeds from British Columbia, western Canada, and New York locally southward. Usually spends winters north to British Columbia, Kansas, Illinois, and Massachusetts. Preferred habitats include open ponds and marshes. Found on coastal bays and inlets, often occurring in large rafts during winter.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationCommon to abundant
MigrationMigratory
Weight25.6 Ounces