Coots
The coots are medium-sized water birds which are members of the rail family. They constitute the genus Fulica.
The greatest species variety is in South America, and it is likely that the genus originated there.
These rails are all predominantly black in plumage, and, unlike many of the rails, they are usually easy to see, often swimming in open water rather than skulking in reedbeds.
They have prominent frontal shields or other decoration on the forehead, and coloured bills, and many, but not all, have white on the undertail. Like other rails, they have lobed toes.
They tend to have short, rounded wings and be weak fliers, although northern species are nevertheless capable of covering long distances; the American Coot has reached Great Britain and Ireland on rare occasions. Those species that migrate do so at night.
Coots can walk and run vigorously on strong legs, and have long toes that are well adapted to soft, uneven surfaces.
These birds are omnivorous, taking mainly plant material, but also small animals and eggs. They are aggressively territorial during the breeding season, but are otherwise often found in sizeable flocks on the shallow vegetated lakes they prefer.
Species
- Red-knobbed Coot or Crested Coot, Fulica cristata
- Eurasian Coot, or Common Coot, Fulica atra
- Hawaiian Coot, Fulica alai
- American Coot, Fulica americana
- Caribbean Coot, Fulica caribaea :
This Coot is a large waterbird and resident breeder in the Caribbean and parts of Venezuela. It has sometimes been treated as a subspecies of American Coot, Fulica americana.
The adults is 33-38cm long and has a short thick white bill with a reddish-brown spot near the tip and a white forehead shield. The body is grey with the head and neck darker than the rest of the body. The legs are yellow, with scalloped toes rather than webbed feet. It differs from American Coot in that the latter species has red knobs at the top of its frontal shield.
The breeding habitat is freshwater lakes and marshes. They build a nest in shallow water or floating, and lay 4-8 speckled whitish or pale brown eggs. They are frequently seen swimming in open water.
Caribbean Coots can dive for food but can also forage on land. They eat plant material, insects, fish, and other aquatic animals.
Their call is a high-pitched squeaking honk somewhat like a goose, similar to American Coot.
- White-winged Coot, Fulica leucoptera
- Andean Coot, Fulica ardesiaca
- Red-gartered Coot, Fulica armillata
- Red-fronted Coot, Fulica rufifrons
- Giant Coot, Fulica gigantea
- Horned Coot, Fulica cornuta
- Mascarene Coot, Fulica newtoni (extinct, c.1700) :
- Chatham Island Coot, Fulica chathamensis (prehistoric)
- New Zealand Coot, Fulica prisca (prehistoric)
- Fulica infelix (fossil: Early Pliocene of Juntura, USA)
- Fulica shufeldti (fossil: Pleistocene of North America) - possibly a subspecies of Fulica americana
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