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Coot

Animal

Coot

Reviewed by:

Aiswarya Ittianath

Coot Bird

The Coot is a tiny rail, or Rallidae, family member. Rails, moorhens, crakes, gallinules, and other birds are genetically connected to them. Coots have short beaks, sturdy bodies, and fleshy frontal shields on their foreheads. Their plumage is mostly black, with a faint iridescent sheen on some species. With sturdy bodies and short beaks, they resemble chickens. Their beaks and legs are light coloured, and their feathers are black. Most species have a frontal shield that extends from the beak up the forehead. These birds are around two feet long and weigh four or five pounds at their greatest size. It is a general assumption that a coot is considered a duck and referred to as a Coot duck which is not the case, let us explore more about the coot bird.

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Types of Coot

Name	Appearance	Habitat
American Coot	Coots in the United States are about 38 cm long and can weigh up to 900 g in the winter. Their wingspan ranges from 58 to 71 cm. They have dark grey feathers with a white spot under the tail. A red swelling runs along the upper edge of the bill, which is also white. Males and females have the same appearance. The coot's lobed toes make it a strong swimmer, particularly in open water. The coot can fly, but its short, rounded wings make it difficult to lift off. The coot can fly as well as any other bird once it is in the air.	The American Coot is a migratory bird found in the Nearctic region. During the summer, these birds can be found in the northern United States and southern Canada, primarily around freshwater lakes and ponds. They migrate to the southern United States throughout the winter, from California to Florida. They are primarily found within the contiguous United States, but some have been discovered as far away as Alaska and South America.
White Winged Coot	Adult males are silky black with enormous white patches in their wings that are visible in flight and often partially visible at rest. Around and behind the eye, they feature a comma-shaped white mark. The bill has black feathers that extend to the tip, and the bill tip is orange. The feet of males are a vivid orange-red colour.	It can be found in southern South America's marshes and lakes, including the Falkland Islands, and as far north as Bolivia and southern Brazil. Despite its name, the majority of its wings are black slaty, with a white trailing edge showing on the secondaries when in flight.
Eurasian Coot	The Eurasian coot has a distinguishing white beak and shield' above the beak, earning it the nickname 'bald.' It is all-black hence called black coot and larger than its cousin, the moorhen. When swimming, its feet contain characteristic lobed flaps of skin on the toes that behave similarly to webbed feet.	When the water is deep enough, coot can be found in freshwater lakes, gravel pits, reservoirs, rivers, and local park lakes. Offshore, especially in the winter when freshwater regions are frozen,
Giant Coot	It is the second-largest extant member of the Rallidae family, after the takahe, with a total length of 48–64 cm (19–25 inches), and adults are regarded as essentially flightless. The only coot with reddish legs is this one. It has a little white shield on the front. It has a black beak tip.	The giant coot (Fulica gigantea) is a South American coot species. It can be found in the altiplano lakes from central Peru to western Bolivia, northeast Chile, and extreme north-western Argentina.
Red Knobbed Coot	With a white beak and frontal shield, this waterbird is mostly sooty grey. Adults with breeding status have two little reddish horns, however, they can be difficult to distinguish from Eurasian Coot at other times. Instead of being pointed, the feathering on the side of the upper mandible is rounded. It has partial webbing on its long, muscular toes as a swimming species. The juvenile is paler than the adult, has a whitish breast, and lacks the facial shield; the adult's black plumage develops about 3 to 4 months, but the white shield develops much later, around one year.	It breeds on freshwater lakes and ponds over much of Africa and in southernmost Spain. It builds a nest of dead reeds near the water's edge or, more usually, afloat, and lays about 8 eggs in favourable conditions. However, it has such violent behaviour toward its own young that only a few are likely to survive to adulthood.
Caribbean Coot	With its white shield extending up to the top of the head, the Caribbean Coot is no longer considered a separate species, but rather a subspecies of the American Coot. The adults have a short thick white bill with a reddish-brown patch towards the tip and a white forehead shield and are 33–38 centimetres (13–15 inches) long. The head and neck are darker than the rest of the body, and the body is grey. The legs are yellow, and the toes are scalloped rather than webbed.	The Caribbean Coot is a big waterbird belonging to the Rallidae family that breeds in the Caribbean and Venezuela. Several sightings have been reported in North America, however, they cannot be confirmed because some American Coots lack red knobs on the bill's frontal shield. The Caribbean Coot has been mistakenly classified as a subspecies of the latter.
Andean Coot	The colour of the bill and shield varies. A chestnut shield and a yellow bill with a black patch is the most typical combination. Yellow shield, white bill, and white shield, white bill are two other pairings.	From far southwestern Colombia to northern Argentina, it can be found in the Andes. Swamps and freshwater lakes are their native habitats. Both North and South America are home to the Andean coot. The populations that live at high elevations have evolved physiologically to a low-oxygen environment because they are distributed at such a wide variety of altitudes.
Red Gartered Coot	A broken dark red stripe separates their pale yellow forehead shield from their brighter yellow beak. They are called banded coot due to these distinguished stripes. Note the scarlet "garters" on its legs, which are usually covered when swimming. The head of the juvenile is pale. It's common to see it with White-winged and Red-fronted Coots. It reaches a length of 45 cm (18 in) on average, which is longer than most coots.	It can be found in Argentina, southern Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, as well as Bolivia and the Malvinas Islands, where it is a vagrant. Swamps and freshwater lakes are their native habitats. This species' fossils have been discovered in Chile's Laguna de Tagua Tagua formation.
Mascarene Coot	The Mascarene coot was a huge bird with limited flight capacity, thus if pursued, it would have preferred to flee by diving much more than coots now do. Because the bird was so strong, it could easily have crossed the seas between the islands, explaining why only one species was found on both. The birds resembled large Eurasian coots.	It was a species of coot that lived in the Mascarene islands of Mauritius and Réunion before becoming extinct. Long known from subfossil bones discovered in the Mare aux Songes marsh on the former island, but only presumed to be present on the latter from descriptions, remains have lately been discovered on Réunion as well. Early accounts from Mauritius were widely supposed to belong to common moorhens, however, it appears that this species only arrived on the island after the native coot became extinct.
Red Fronted Coot	The huge white wedges under the tail, which frequently recall a gallinule as much as a coot, contrast with their dark red forehead shield and bright yellow bill. Overall, the juvenile is dark, with a pale neck and a drab beak and shield. It's common in the same places as the Red-gartered Coot.	This lowland coot is pretty frequent. Fresh to brackish ponds and lakes, as well as marshy wetlands with little open water, are home to this species. Usually close cover, but rarely out on the open ocean. More than other coots, it likes to walk along the shore.

Distribution of Coot Bird

These birds can be found in a variety of habitats. The range of these animals varies depending on the species. Some species exist across vast swaths of land, while others are restricted to a tiny area. North, Central, and South America, as well as Hawaii, are home to these birds. They live in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the neighbouring islands, among other places.

General Appearance

The ten diverse species of the Common Coot birds have a striking resemblance to one another. With sturdy bodies and short beaks, they resemble chickens. Their beaks and legs are light coloured, and their feathers are black. Most species have a frontal shield that extends from the beak up the forehead. These birds are around two feet long and weigh four or five pounds at their greatest size.

Habitat

These birds prefer a variety of habitats, although they are all aquatic in nature. These birds want to be near the water and enjoy swimming. Ponds, lakes, wetlands, estuaries, swamps, marshes, and other ecosystems are among the places they call home. Some species can even be found in public parks, gardens, and pond farms.

Diet

The diets of all Coot species are very similar. Their specific prey, on the other hand, varies by region. The majority of species are omnivores, eating both plants and tiny animals. Tadpoles, small fish, shrimp, crabs, snails, and other small aquatic organisms are some of the most common prey. They hunt by scuba diving and wading across the shallows.

Reproduction Cycle

During the breeding season, couples of these birds breed with the same mate and raise their children together, but the next season, they breed with a different mate. The majority of Coot species are sociable and live in flocks. These flocks give a large number of eyes to keep a lookout for predators. They make a loud announcement if they see a predator, making it difficult for the predator to catch anything, Coot or otherwise.

Coots execute a variety of displays and calls in order to attract a potential mate. The birds work together to build a nest out of reeds and twigs once they've paired up. They construct their nests near the water, usually with an easy-access ramp to allow the chicks to return to the nest. The females lay approximately ten eggs per clutch and incubate them for approximately three weeks. When the chicks are 6 weeks old, they begin to fly, and after another 2 weeks or so, they are entirely independent.

Caring for the Coot

These birds are kept in zoos in enclosures with plenty of water to swim and wade in. Their water features must be adequately deep because they like to dive and swim underwater. Because they are quite docile and gregarious with other animals, these birds are sometimes kept in enclosures with other tiny waterfowl. They are fed a variety of fish, shrimp, insects, and other foods by zookeepers.

Human Impact and Threats

The impact of humans varies for each species and is usually determined by how widely distributed the species is. The Eurasian Coot, for example, lives across vast swaths of land. The Hawaiian Coot, for example, is a species that exclusively lives in a narrow area. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) classifies the widely distributed Eurasian species as Least Concern, but the Hawaiian species is classified as Vulnerable. Habitat destruction and invading predators are the main challenges to these birds.

Interesting and Fun Facts About the Coot Bird

Coots are kleptoparasitic, which means they will steal food from other birds if they don't feel like hunting for it themselves. Even though the American Coot swims like a duck, its toes have lobes on the sides of each segment, rather than webbed feet.
For its nest, the American Coot constructs a floating platform constructed of marsh plant branches.
The coot feet are big and they have lobed toes.
The bigger size, totally black body with no white patches, and dazzling white bill distinguish the Coot from the similar-looking Moorhen. Coots spend a lot of time diving for food away from the bank.
On the head and neck, the chick's downy plumage is a vibrant orange.
The phrase "bald as a Coot" refers to the white patch, or "frontal shield," that appears directly above the bird's bill, rather than a lack of feathers. Coots are also called 'Bald Coots' and 'White-faced Divers' in their native habitat.
A person who is very old is informally referred to as old coot and if one behaves rather obnoxiously then they are also referred to as crazy coot.

FAQs on Coot

1. Is it True That Eagles Eat Coot?

The eagles may capture a few fish or feast on some unlucky ducks, but the chunky tiny American coots appear to be their favourite prey each year. However, for the time being, coots appear to be a perfect meal package for bald eagles.

2. Is it Possible For a Coot to Fly?

Although these waterbirds rarely fly, the northernmost populations do move seasonally. If you want to see a flock of Coots flying in the sky, you'll have to stay up late because they only migrate at night. Coots in the United States are about 38 cm long and can weigh up to 900 g in the winter. Their wingspan ranges from 58 to 71 cm. The coot can fly as well as any other bird once it is in the air.

3. Why Do Coots Only Take to the Air at Night?

Coots eat emergent aquatic plant products, dive for deeper plants, or dip their heads to feed on plants slightly below the surface. The majority of coots in the Concho Valley arrive in the fall as part of migratory flights triggered by cold fronts. At night, when the air is more steady and cooler, they migrate.

4. Where Do Coots Sleep?

Nests are almost usually erected over water on floating platforms, and they're virtually always surrounded by dense clumps of living or dead vegetation including reeds, cattails, bulrushes, sedges, and grasses. The nest is occasionally erected on the edge of a clump of plants, where it is easily visible.

5. Is a Moorhen the Same as a Coot?

The Moorhen is brown and black with a characteristic red frontal face shield and beak, tipped with yellow, and the Coot is black with a distinctive white front face shield and beak. One way to remember this is because the Coot has no 'R,' but the Moorhen does, hence the Moorhen's frontal face shield is red.