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| Coot Temporal range:Early Pliocene to present | |
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| Eurasian coot (Fulica atra) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Fulica Linnaeus,1758 |
| Type species | |
| Fulica atra (Eurasian coot) Linnaeus, 1758 | |
| Species | |
For extinct and prehistoric species, see article text | |
Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the railfamily,Rallidae. They constitute the genusFulica, the name being theLatin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly blackplumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usually easy to see, often swimming in open water.
ThegenusFulica was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in thetenth edition of hisSystema Naturae.[1] The genus name is theLatin word for aEurasian coot.[2] The name was used by the Swiss naturalistConrad Gessner in 1555.[3] Thetype species is the Eurasian coot.[4]
A group of coots is referred to as acovert[5] orcover.[6]
The genus contains 10 extant species and one which is now extinct.[7]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Fulica alaiPeale, 1848 | Hawaiian coot orʻAlae keʻokeʻo | Hawaii |
.jpg) | Fulica americanaGmelin, 1789 | American coot | southern Quebec to the Pacific coast of North America and as far south as northern South America |
 | Fulica ardesiacaTschudi, 1843 | Andean coot | Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru |
 | Fulica armillataVieillot, 1817 | red-gartered coot | Argentina, southern Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay |
.jpg) | Fulica atraLinnaeus,1758 | Eurasian coot or common coot | Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa |
 | Fulica cornutaBonaparte, 1853 | horned coot | Argentina, Bolivia, Chile |
 | Fulica cristataGmelin, 1789 | red-knobbed coot | Africa, Iberian Peninsula |
 | Fulica giganteaEydoux & Souleyet, 1841 | giant coot | Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru |
 | Fulica leucopteraVieillot, 1817 | white-winged coot | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Falkland Islands, Paraguay, Uruguay |
 | Fulica rufifronsPhilppi & Landbeck, 1861 | red-fronted coot | Argentina, southern Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, southern Peru, Uruguay |
Coots have prominentfrontal shields or decoration on their foreheads, with red to dark red eyes and coloured bills. Many have white on the under tail. The featherless shield gave rise to the expression "as bald as a coot",[9] which theOxford English Dictionary cites in use as early as 1430. Coots have long toes with broad lobes of skin that allow them to kick and propel themselves through the water. The lobes of skin fold back each time the coot lifts its foot, allowing them to walk on dry land while also providing support in mucky terrain.[10] They tend to have short, rounded wings and are weak fliers, though northern species nevertheless can cover long distances. They typically congregate in large rafts in open water. Along these rafts coots may lay eggs in their own nest or in some other bird's. Depending on the species of coot the eggs can vary in color: buff, pinkish buff or buff-gray speckled with dark brown, purplish brown, or black.[11]
The greatest species variety occurs in South America, and the genus likely originated there. They are common in Europe and North America.[12] Coot species thatmigrate do so at night. TheAmerican coot has been observed rarely in Britain and Ireland, while theEurasian coot is found across Asia, Australia and parts of Africa. In southern Louisiana, the coot is referred to by the French name "poule d'eau", which translates into English as "water hen".[13]
Coots are omnivorous, eating mainly plant material, but also small animals, fish and eggs.[14] They are aggressively territorial during the breeding season, but are otherwise often found in sizeable flocks on the shallow vegetated lakes they prefer.
Chick mortality occurs mainly due to starvation rather than predation as coots have difficulty feeding a large family of hatchlings on the tiny shrimp and insects that they collect. Many chicks die in the first 10 days after hatching, when they are most dependent on adults for food.[15] Coots can be very brutal to their own young under pressure such as the lack of food, and after about three days they start attacking their own chicks when they beg for food. After a short while, these attacks concentrate on the weaker chicks, who eventually give upbegging and die. The coot may eventually raise only two or three out of nine hatchlings.[16] In this attacking behaviour, the parents are said to "tousle" their young. This can result in the death of the chick.[17]
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