Coot

Coot, common name for any member of a genus of birds of the rail family, also called mud hens or swamphens due to their habitat in the marshy borders of streams and lakes. Coots have a short, straight bill, the base of which extends up the forehead to form a horny shield. Instead of the webs of most swimming birds, coots have a series of flaps along the sides of each toe. They cannot take off from land, but must run along the surface of the water to attain flight speed. The American coot is about 41 cm (about 16 in) long and breeds throughout North America. Its color is a dark slate that deepens on the head and neck. Its bill is white, crossed by a dark band near the tip, and with a reddish spot on the forehead shield. The nest is a hollow heap of broken, dead reeds. The eggs, of a clear clay color dotted with dark brown, usually number about a dozen. The young are covered with black down with some bright orange-red hairlike feathers on the head and neck.

The Eurasian, or black, coot is found in most of Europe, Asia, Australia, and North Africa. It is similar in color to the American coot, but its bill and forehead shield are pure white, without dark marks. It makes a large nest of water plants among reeds or rushes. There are five additional species of coot in South America, one in Africa, and one in the Caribbean area; the latter may be merely a variety of the American coot. In the United States the name coot is often applied to the various ducks, especially the scoters.

Scientific classification: Coots make up the genus Fulica, of the family Rallidae, order Gruiformes. The American coot is classified as Fulica americana and the Eurasian, or black, coot as Fulica atra.

_____________

Visit all our informational websites: exZOOberance, Art of Leadership, Pictures from Turkey,
about Pedigree Dogs and about Pedigree Cats

Feedback