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Fulica americana

Gmelin, 1789

American Coot

G5Secure Found in 200 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103406
Element CodeABNME14020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderGruiformes
FamilyRallidae
GenusFulica
Other Common Names
American coot (EN) Foulque d'Amérique (FR) Gallareta Americana (ES)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Includes Andean Fulica ardesiaca, which sometimes has been treated as a separate species. Possibly conspecific with F. caribaea (AOU 1983, Banks 1995). Hawaiian population was regarded as a distinct species (F. alai) by Pratt et al. (1987).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-07
Change Date1996-11-25
Range Extent Comments
BREEDS: east-central Alaska (casual), southern Yukon east through central Manitoba to Prince Edward Island, south locally to southern Baja California, Gulf Coast, Florida, Nicaragua and northwestern Costa Rica, West Indies (not Puerto Rico or Virgin Islands). WINTERS: Pacific coast, and north to the southwestern U.S., lower Ohio Valley, and Maryland, south throughout Middle America, southeastern U.S., and West Indies to Panama and probably Colombia. RESIDENT in Hawaii and in South America in the Andes from Colombia south to western Bolivia, northern Chile, and northwestern Argentina. (AOU 1983). Birds from North America apparently are regularly present as nonbreeding visitors in Hawaii (Pratt 1987).
Ecology & Habitat

Description

A dark henlike bird with a blackish head and neck, slate body (paler in juveniles), and a frontal shield that usually is small and maroon or dark brown (may become bulbous at peak of breeding season; a few have a white frontal shield); undertail coverts white on the sides, black in the middle; white trailing edge on wings; whitish bill; large feet with lobed toes (NGS 1983).

Diagnostic Characteristics

Differs from gallinules in having lobed toes and lacking red on the bill; lacks the white line on the sides of the common moorhen. Differs from Caribbean coot in having a smaller forehead shield that is reddish-brown instead of white or white tinged with yellow (some American coots have an extensively white forehead shield). Differs from Eurasian coot in being slightly smaller and paler and having the undertail coverts black and white rather than all black; also the forehead shield is reddish-brown forehead shield instead of all white.

Habitat

Freshwater lakes, ponds, marshes, and larger rivers, wintering also on brackish estuaries and bays. Also on land bordering these habitats. Calm open water with plenty of algae and other aquatic vegetation (Stiles and Skutch 1989). Typically builds floating nest among marsh plants in 30-100 cm of water (Harrison 1979). In south-central Saskatchewn, nesting habitat and reproductive effort and success were greatly reduced during drought (Sutherland 1991).

Ecology

Nonbreeding: often in groups (Stiles and Skutch 1989).

Reproduction

Clutch size is 6-22 (most often 8-12 in North America; average about 6 in Hawaii). Incubation lasts 23-24 days, by both sexes. Young are tended by both parents, though brood may be divided between them. First flies probably at 7-8 weeks. Usually renests if first clutch is destroyed (Condor 95:273-281); easily able to produce many additional eggs (Auk 109:407-421).
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDBog/fenRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5B,N4N
ProvinceRankNative
Nova ScotiaS1BYes
QuebecS4BYes
SaskatchewanS5BYes
OntarioS3B,S4NYes
Prince Edward IslandS1BYes
Island of NewfoundlandSNAYes
New BrunswickS1BYes
AlbertaS5BYes
Yukon TerritoryS2BYes
Northwest TerritoriesS4Yes
British ColumbiaS4BYes
ManitobaS5BYes
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
New YorkS3Yes
MichiganS3Yes
NebraskaSNRNYes
OhioS2Yes
WashingtonS4B,S4NYes
UtahS5Yes
MontanaS5BYes
North DakotaSNRBYes
South DakotaS5BYes
OklahomaS4Yes
MinnesotaSNRBYes
GeorgiaS4Yes
Rhode IslandSNAYes
ConnecticutSNAYes
KentuckyS1BYes
KansasS3B,S5NYes
MassachusettsSXB,S3NYes
IdahoS4B,S4NYes
ArizonaS5Yes
MarylandS1BYes
New HampshireSNAYes
VermontSUB,SNAMYes
NevadaS5Yes
West VirginiaSHB,S3NYes
District of ColumbiaS2NYes
New MexicoS5Yes
IowaS5B,S5NYes
MississippiS5B,S5NYes
IllinoisS4Yes
MissouriSNRB,SNRN,SNRMYes
LouisianaS3B,S5NYes
ColoradoS5B,S4NYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
TennesseeS2BYes
North CarolinaS5NYes
ArkansasS3B,S4NYes
OregonS5Yes
TexasS4B,S5NYes
PennsylvaniaS2B,S4N,S3MYes
Navajo NationS5Yes
WyomingS5B,S5NYes
AlaskaS2B,S2NYes
DelawareS1BYes
New JerseyS4B,S4NYes
MaineS2BYes
IndianaS4B,S2NYes
WisconsinS3BYes
VirginiaS1B,S5NYes
AlabamaS2B,S5NYes
South CarolinaS4NYes
FloridaSNRB,SNRNYes
Roadless Areas (200)
Alaska (8)
AreaForestAcres
Douglas IslandTongass National Forest28,065
GravinaTongass National Forest37,381
North BaranofTongass National Forest314,089
North RevillaTongass National Forest215,430
RedoubtTongass National Forest68,347
RevillaTongass National Forest29,298
Sitka UrbanTongass National Forest112,003
Taku-SnettishamTongass National Forest664,928
Arizona (7)
AreaForestAcres
Black CrossTonto National Forest5,966
BoulderTonto National Forest40,359
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
GoldfieldTonto National Forest15,257
MazatzalTonto National Forest16,942
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
California (74)
AreaForestAcres
AgnewSequoia National Forest9,561
AntimonyLos Padres National Forest40,911
Barker ValleyCleveland National Forest11,940
Bear MountainLos Padres National Forest913
Black ButteLos Padres National Forest5,116
Boundary Peak (CA)Inyo National Forest210,884
CajonSan Bernardino National Forest7,548
CamuesaLos Padres National Forest8,209
ChannellSequoia National Forest45,429
City CreekSan Bernardino National Forest9,997
Coyote SoutheastInyo National Forest53,159
Crystal CreekSan Bernardino National Forest6,783
Cucamonga AAngeles National Forest1,249
Cucamonga BSan Bernardino National Forest11,933
Cutca ValleyCleveland National Forest14,530
Deep CreekSan Bernardino National Forest23,869
Devil's Gate (CA)Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest9,946
Domeland Add.Sequoia National Forest3,046
Dry LakesLos Padres National Forest17,043
Excelsior (CA)Inyo National Forest45,607
Fox MountainLos Padres National Forest52,072
Glass MountainInyo National Forest52,867
Granite ChiefTahoe National Forest6,546
Granite PeakSan Bernardino National Forest450
Greenhorn CreekSequoia National Forest28,226
Heart LakeLassen National Forest9,349
Hoover - Mt.olsenHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest624
Hoover - NorthHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest1,574
Hoover - Twin LakesHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest102
Horse Creek RidgeSan Bernardino National Forest8,969
Horse Mdw.Inyo National Forest5,687
Iceberg - Mill CreekHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest26,988
Jennie LakeSequoia National Forest2,388
Kings RiverSierra National Forest52,999
Lake EleanorShasta-Trinity National Forest397
Log Cabin SaddlebagInyo National Forest15,165
Magic MountainAngeles National Forest15,542
Malduce BuckhornLos Padres National Forest14,177
Mill CreekSequoia National Forest27,643
Mill PeakSan Bernardino National Forest7,884
MonarchSierra National Forest697
MonoLos Padres National Forest28,141
Mt. JacksonHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest20,721
Mt. OlsenInyo National Forest2,161
NordhoffLos Padres National Forest12,031
North LakeInyo National Forest2,406
North MountainStanislaus National Forest7,856
Orleans Mtn. BSix Rivers National Forest17,183
PaiuteInyo National Forest58,712
Pleasant ViewAngeles National Forest26,395
PyramidEldorado National Forest24,347
Pyramid Peak BSan Bernardino National Forest7,194
Raywood Flat BSan Bernardino National Forest11,373
Red MountainAngeles National Forest8,034
Robinson PeakHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest5,835
Rouse HillSan Bernardino National Forest13,745
Salt CreekAngeles National Forest11,022
San Gabriel AddAngeles National Forest2,527
Santa CruzLos Padres National Forest21,182
Sawmill - BadlandsLos Padres National Forest51,362
Sespe - FrazierLos Padres National Forest106,910
Sheep MountainAngeles National Forest21,098
Silver HillHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest4,423
South SierraInyo National Forest41,853
SugarloafSan Bernardino National Forest8,206
Table Mtn.Inyo National Forest4,215
TequepisLos Padres National Forest9,080
Timbered CraterLassen National Forest4,096
TinemahaInyo National Forest27,060
WestforkAngeles National Forest4,407
WildhorseCleveland National Forest1,483
Wonoga Pk.Inyo National Forest11,272
WoodpeckerSequoia National Forest11,936
WoolstaffSequoia National Forest41,445
Colorado (2)
AreaForestAcres
Dome PeakRoutt NF35,716
San MiguelSan Juan NF64,263
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Impassable BayOsceola National Forest2,789
Idaho (6)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
Borah PeakSalmon-Challis National Forest130,463
HoodooNez Perce-Clearwater National Forest153,868
NeedlesPayette National Forest131,279
PalisadesCaribou-Targhee National Forest122,002
Peace RockBoise National Forest191,734
Montana (15)
AreaForestAcres
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLolo National Forest118,485
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLewis and Clark National Forest344,022
Big LogHelena National Forest8,954
Bmss Ra 1485Flathead National Forest334,275
Buckhorn Ridge (MT)Kootenai National Forest34,716
Cube Iron - SilcoxLolo National Forest36,998
Fishtail SaddlebackCuster National Forest16,359
Freezeout MountainBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest97,305
Gallatin FringeGallatin National Forest51,571
HolterHelena National Forest1,965
MadisonGallatin National Forest127,859
Mt. Gmt Area HCuster National Forest1,335
North AbsarokaCuster National Forest21,063
North AbsarokaGallatin National Forest159,075
Selway - Bitterroot (01067)Bitterroot National Forest114,953
Nevada (16)
AreaForestAcres
Bald Mtn.Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest41,598
Boundary Peak (NV)Inyo National Forest21,851
Moriah - Silver CreekHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest1,582
Mystic (NV)Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest5,644
Pearl PeakHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest71,405
Rose - Alum CreekHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest853
Rose - Big MeadowsHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest311
Rose - Davis Mdw.Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest2,361
Rose - Dutch LouieHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest363
Rose - EvansHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest4,782
Rose - NortheastHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest550
Rose - VerdiHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest1,155
Rose - Whites CanyonHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest2,568
Ruby - Lamoille CynHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest32,771
South SchellHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest125,614
Tehama CreekHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest7,656
New Mexico (8)
AreaForestAcres
Contiguous To Black & Aldo Leopold WildernessGila National Forest111,883
Contiguous To Gila Wilderness & Primitive AreaGila National Forest79,049
Devils CreekGila National Forest89,916
Frisco BoxGila National Forest38,979
Gila BoxGila National Forest23,759
Meadow CreekGila National Forest34,167
Nichols ReservoirSanta Fe National Forest1,518
Thompson PeakSanta Fe National Forest33,001
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
North Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
SheyenneDakota Prairie Grasslands14,537
Oregon (15)
AreaForestAcres
BuckhornWallowa-Whitman National Forest17,180
HellholeUmatilla National Forest65,679
HomesteadWallowa-Whitman National Forest5,817
Hurricane CreekWallowa-Whitman National Forest1,606
Mt. JeffersonDeschutes National Forest2,282
Mt. BaileyUmpqua National Forest18,401
North PaulinaDeschutes National Forest19,670
Silver CreekOchoco National Forest7,952
Sky Lakes AWinema National Forest3,940
Sky Lakes BWinema National Forest9,615
Snake RiverWallowa-Whitman National Forest31,229
South PaulinaDeschutes National Forest9,074
TenmileSiuslaw National Forest10,818
West - South BachelorDeschutes National Forest25,994
WoahinkSiuslaw National Forest5,309
South Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Indian CreekBuffalo Gap National Grassland24,666
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big CreekNational Forests in Texas1,447
Utah (23)
AreaForestAcres
418024Uinta National Forest51,699
418027Uinta National Forest13,884
418029Uinta National Forest15,673
Clarkston Mtn.Caribou National Forest7,099
CottonwoodDixie National Forest6,754
FishhookDixie National Forest12,959
Fishlake MountainFishlake National Forest25,217
Hog RanchDixie National Forest17,130
Horse Mountain - Mans PeakManti-Lasal National Forest22,159
Lava BedsDixie National Forest14,944
Little CreekFishlake National Forest11,479
Mahogany RangeWasatch-Cache National Forest11,409
Moody WashDixie National Forest31,835
Mt. Logan NorthWasatch-Cache National Forest18,930
Mt. Logan SouthWasatch-Cache National Forest17,014
New Home BenchDixie National Forest10,513
Pine Valley MountainsDixie National Forest57,673
Right Hand Fork LoganWasatch-Cache National Forest15,023
Rock CanyonDixie National Forest16,457
Stoddard MountainDixie National Forest13,165
Stump CreekCaribou National Forest355
Table Cliffs - Henderson CanyonDixie National Forest19,581
WellsvilleWasatch-Cache National Forest1,717
Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Adams PeakGeorge Washington National Forest7,135
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Washington (6)
AreaForestAcres
Black CanyonOkanogan National Forest9,681
Dry Canyon BreaksColville National Forest4,821
Granite MountainOkanogan National Forest27,428
Mt. BaldyOlympic National Forest3,557
TaneumWenatchee National Forest26,140
Thorp Mtn.Wenatchee National Forest22,717
Wyoming (12)
AreaForestAcres
Gros Ventre MountainsBridger-Teton National Forest106,418
Little Sheep MountainBridger-Teton National Forest14,192
Mosquito Lake - Seven LakesBridger-Teton National Forest51,950
Pacific Creek - Blackrock CreekBridger-Teton National Forest24,658
PalisadesTarghee National Forest1,121
Salt River RangeBridger-Teton National Forest235,661
Sheep MountainMedicine Bow-Routt National Forest17,626
Spread Creek - Gros Ventre RiverBridger-Teton National Forest166,097
Teton Corridor TrailheadsBridger-Teton National Forest286
West Slope TetonsTarghee National Forest47,448
West Slope WindsBridger-Teton National Forest143,252
Wilderness Study AreaTarghee National Forest51,961
References (30)
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  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. Banks, R. C. 1995. Taxonomic Validation for Bird Species on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Category 2 Species List. In Biological Survey Project, Patuxent Environmental Research Center, National Biological Service (compilers). Taxonomic Review of Category 2 Species.
  4. Bent, A. C. 1926. Life histories of North American marsh birds. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. 135.
  5. Berger, A. J. 1981. Hawaiian Birdlife. Second Edition. University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii. xv + 260 pp.
  6. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  7. Byrd, G. V., et al. 1985. Notes on the breeding biology ofthe Hawaiian race of the American coot. 'Elepaio 45:57-63.
  8. Eddleman, W. R., F. L. Knopf, B. Meanley, F. A. Reid, and R. Zembal. 1988. Conservation of North American rallids. Wilson Bulletin 100:458-475.
  9. Gullion, G. W. 1953. Territory behavior of the American coot. Condor 55:169-186.
  10. Harrison, H. H. 1979. A field guide to western birds' nests. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 279 pp.
  11. Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb. 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
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  14. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  15. Pérez-Arteaga, A. and K. J. Gaston. 2004. Status of American Coot Fulica americana (Gruiformes: Rallidae) wintering in Mexico. Acta Zoologica Mexicana (new series) 20:253-263.
  16. Peterson, R.T. 1980b. A field guide to the birds of eastern and central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  17. Peterson, R.T. 1990b. A field guide to western birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  18. Pratt, H. D. 1987. Occurrence of the North American coot (FULICA AMERICANA AMERICANA) in the Hawaiian Islands, with comments on the taxonomy of the Hawaiian coot. `Elepaio 47(3):25-28.
  19. Raffaele, H. A. 1983a. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Fondo Educativo Interamericano, San Juan, Puerto Rico. 255 pp.
  20. Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 511 pp.
  21. Rappole, J.H., Morton, E.S., Lovejoy, T.E. and Ruos, J.L. 1983. Nearctic avian migrants in the Neotropics. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service and World Wildlife Fund, Washington D.C.
  22. Ridgely, R. S. 2002. Distribution maps of South American birds. Unpublished.
  23. Ridgely, R. S. and J. A. Gwynne, Jr. 1989. A Guide to the Birds of Panama. 2nd edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, USA.
  24. Ridgely, R. S. and P. J. Greenfield. 2001. The birds of Ecuador: Status, distribution, and taxonomy. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, USA.
  25. Scott, J. M., and C. B. Kepler. 1985. Distribution and abundance of Hawaiian native birds: a status report. Pages 43-70 in Temple, S. A. (editor). Bird Conservation 2. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wisconsin. 181 pp.
  26. Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  27. Stiles, F. G. and A. F. Skutch. 1989. A guide to the birds of Costa Rica. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA. 511 pp.
  28. Sutherland, J. M. 1991. Effects of drought on American coot, FULICA AMERICANA, reproduction in Saskatchewan parklands. Canadian Field-Naturalist 105:267-273.
  29. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  30. Zook, J. L. 2002. Distribution maps of the birds of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Unpublished.