Fulica americana
(American
Coot)
Physical
Description:
13-16" (33-41 cm). Slate gray with black
head and neck; ivory bill and forehead topped with red ; red eyes; yellow-green legs
extending to big lobed feet; white patches on either side of the tail. Immatures are paler
with a duller bill.
Similar Species- Common Moorhen
Song:
Calls varied; mostly raucous, grating croaks and
cackles.
Distribution:
Breeds from Alaska (casually), east across parts
of Canada, and south (locally) to southern Baja California, Gulf Coast, Florida, and
portions of Central America. Winters along Pacific Coast, north to southwestern U.S.,
lower Ohio Valley, and Maryland, and south through southeastern U.S. and Middle America to
Panama and probably Colombia.
Diet:
Eats seeds, roots, and other plant material,
insects, snails, small fishes, tadpoles, and other small organisms.
Ecology:
Builds concealed nest over water. Feeds on land
and in water. Often found in groups when not breeding.
Reproduction:
Both sexes incubate 6- 22 eggs (most often
8-12 in North America) for 23-24 days. Young are tended by both parents, though
brood may be divided between them. Young first fly probably at 7-8 wk.
Conservation:
Element Code: | ABNME14020 |
Status: | Game species |
Global Rank: | G5 |
State Rank: | S5 |
National Rank: | N5B,N5N |
Important
State References:
No references are available at this time.