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American Coot

Fulica americanaOrder: GRUIFORMES Family: Rails and Coots (Rallidae)
Codes: Common Name: AMCO Scientific Name: FULAME ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176292
Least Concern
 
American Coot
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Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

Overview

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.

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.

Topo Map: Chicken-like-Marsh Body


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 nick named "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.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Splitbar
Range Map for American Coot

Related Birds

Pied-billed Grebe
Common Moorhen
Purple Gallinule
Sora
Eurasian Coot
.
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
Chicken-like-Marsh BodyX
Undertail covertsX
Small feathers that cover the areas where the retrices (tail feathers) attach to the rump.
Frontal shieldX
The area where the bill extends onto the forehead of the bird. It is often brightly colored and is meant to grab the attention of other birds.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX