American Coot, Fulica americana

American Coot, Fulica americana. Photograph taken in the San José del Cabo estuary, Baja California Sur, April 2017. Photograph courtesy of Carol Snow, Del Mar, California.

American Coot, Fulica americana. Photographs taken in the greater Mexico City area, March 2021. Photographs and identification courtesy of Marina Sutormina, Stockholm, Sweden.

Background and Identification

The American Coot, Fulica americana, is a member of the Rallidae Family of Rails, Gallinules, and Coots, which has one hundred fifty-nine members in thirty-eight genera, and one of eleven species of the Fulcia Genus. They are one of North America’s most familiar wetland birds. They are known in Mexico as focha Americana. The American Coot herbivores’ diets consist mostly of aquatic vascular plants and algae, some grasses, other terrestrial vegetation, grains, aquatic invertebrates, and vertebrates. They are awkward clumsy fliers, requiring long running takeoffs across the water’s surface to become airborne. to make up for that, they are accomplished swimmers and divers. They are known for their loud cracking, grunting, and croaking calls. They reproduce exclusively in freshwater environments making floating nests anchored to aquatic plants. They mate in pairs and aggressively defend their territories. American Coots have life spans of up to twenty-two years.

The American Coot is of medium size being plumb and chicken-esk or small duck in stature. The sexes are similar in appearance, however males are slightly larger than females. Their heads and neck are black, contrasting sharply with a white bill and subtly with dark, slate-gray underparts. They are dark gray with a black head and neck and a distinctive white bill with a dusky subterminal band and white frontal shield, which can be swollen and bulbous. The wings have a white trailing edge which can only be seen in flight. Their legs and feet vary from yellow-green to yellow-orange. Their tibia are red and their toes and lobate pads are grayish. Their toes have distinctive lateral lobes, that are indented and webbed at each toe segment.

Habitat and Geographical Range

The American Coot is found in a wide variety of wetlands, including freshwater lakes, ponds, and marshes, as well as in coastal marine habitats, often in large flocks of several thousand individuals. They breed almost exclusively in freshwater marshes.

Being a migratory bird, this species occupies most of North America. It lives in the Pacific and southwestern United States and Mexico year-round and occupies more northeastern regions during the summer breeding season. In the winter they can be found as far south as Panama.

Common Misidentifications

Due to its geographical range, there are not any other species to confuse with the American Coot. However, two similar species are the Eurasian Coot, Fulica atra, and the Hawaiian Coot, Fulica alai. The Eurasian Coot has black undertail coverts, while the American Coot has white included in its undertail. The Hawaiian Coot differs from the American Coot in its large and white shield (sometimes slightly reddish) that extends from its forehead to crown.

Conservation Status

From a conservation perspective, the American Coot is categorized by the IUCN as Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are common and widespread, and sometimes even considered a pest due to their high abundance.