American Coot
Fulica americana
Unlike ducks, coots do not have webbed feet; they have large, fleshy lobes on their toes that fold back when they lift their feet to walk on land.
- Scientific name
- Fulica americana
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Gruiformes › Rallidae › Fulica
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Freshwater lakes, ponds, marshes, and slow-moving rivers with emergent vegetation.
- Diet
- Omnivorous; primarily consumes aquatic plants, algae, and seeds, supplemented by insects, tadpoles, and snails.
- Range
- North America, Central America, Caribbean
- Size
- Length: 34-43 cm; Weight: 600-700g
- Lifespan
- 9 to 22 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Loss of wetland habitat, water pollution, and lead poisoning from spent fishing weights.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans but highly defensive of nesting territory. Maintain a distance of at least 15 feet. Do not feed bread, as it is nutritionally poor for them. If scratched or pecked during an unlikely close encounter, wash the area with soap and water.
The American coot ( Fulica americana ), also known as a mud hen , is a bird of the family Rallidae. Though commonly mistaken to be ducks, American coots belong to a distinct order. Unlike the webbed feet of ducks, coots have broad, lobed scales on their lower legs and toes that fold back with each step in order to facilitate walking on dry land. Coots live near water, typically inhabiting wetlands and open water bodies in North America....
Photo: Justin Flint, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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