American Coot
Fulica
americana
Description
15" (38 cm). A gray, duck-like bird
with white bill and frontal shield, white undertail coverts, and
lobed toes. Frontal shield has red swelling at upper edge, visible
at close range. Immatures similar but paler, with duller
bill.
Voice
A variety of clucks, cackles, grunts, and
other harsh notes.
Habitat
Open ponds and marshes; in winter, also
on coastal bays and inlets.
Nesting
8-10 pinkish eggs, spotted with brown, on
a shallow platform of dead leaves and stems, usually on water but
anchored to a clump of reeds.
Range
Breeds from British Columbia, western
Canada, and New York locally southward. Winters north to British
Columbia, Kansas, Illinois, and Massachusetts. Also in American
tropics.
Discussion
Coots are the most aquatic members of
their family, moving on open water like ducks and often feeding with
them. Coots feed in many ways: by diving to the bottom, dabbling at
the surface, grazing on land near shore, and stealing food from
other diving birds. They are expert swimmers, propelled by wide
lobes on their toes, but they are also heavy birds that must patter
over the water before becoming airborne.
