The American Coot (Fulica americana) is a common and adaptable waterbird belonging to the rail family (Rallidae). Often mistaken for a duck, the coot is only distantly related and possesses unique characteristics that set it apart. Unlike ducks with their webbed feet, coots have broad, lobed scales on their lower legs and toes. These lobes fold back with each step, facilitating walking on land. American Coots are noisy, gregarious members of the rail family. The coot is a medium-sized diving bird with a white bill, yellow legs, and lobed toes. The feet look oversized for this bird. The body is dark gray to black with a blackish head and neck. Juveniles are paler and have greenish-gray legs. The chick's downy plumage is a colorful orange on the head and neck.
Habitat and Distribution
American Coots inhabit a wide variety of freshwater wetlands, from prairie potholes to swamps and marshes, suburban park and sewage ponds, and the edges of large lakes. They prefer freshwater wetlands, lakes, marshes, and wastewater impoundments, but may also be found in coastal marine wetlands in winter. Two features generally characterize all bodies of water where coots breed: heavy stands of emergent aquatic vegetation along at least some portion of the shoreline and at least some depth of standing water within those stands of vegetation. Seasonal wetlands are used during years of high water, while drought years cause breeding to be limited to permanent wetlands.
In summer, American coots are found in New York and Massachusetts in the northern United States, and in southern Canada. During winter, they occur in the southern United States from Florida to California. Individuals have been sighted as far as Alaska in the north and South America in the south, always along waterways. Being freshwater birds, they live in the shallow parts of freshwater ponds, lakes, or marshes, and sometimes in brackish water.
American Coots are common at lower elevations in large freshwater ponds, lakes, and slow-moving rivers at lower elevations throughout the state. For nesting, they require tall marsh vegetation in shallow water. In western Washington, coots are limited to the Puget Trough and the Columbia River due to a lack of suitable water bodies elsewhere.
Physical Characteristics
Adult American coots have a short, thick, white bill and white frontal shield, which usually has a reddish-brown spot near the top of the bill between the eyes. Males and females look alike, but females are smaller. Juvenile birds have olive-brown crowns and gray bodies. American Coots are dark gray to black, chicken-like, with a distinctive white bill with dark spots near the tip, and a frontal shield with a reddish spot near the top, and red iris. The feet are lobed and range in color from green to greenish-gray.
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Foraging Behavior and Diet
American Coots are opportunistic feeders, consuming what is available. They are omnivorous, with a diet consisting of both plant and animal matter. They eat mainly aquatic plants including algae, duckweed, eelgrass, wild rice, sedges, hydrilla, wild celery, waterlilies, cattails, and water milfoil. When on land, they also pick at terrestrial plants and sometimes eat grains or leaves of oak, elm, and cypress trees. They also eat seeds of wetland grasses, including wild and cultured rice.
They’re not exclusively vegetarian. You may also see them eating insects (beetles, dragonflies, and others), crustaceans, snails, and small vertebrates such as tadpoles and salamanders. They also consume snails, insects, small fish, and other aquatic animals.
A slow and meticulous forager, the American Coot plucks at plants while walking, swimming, dabbling with its head just underwater, or in full dives. Wide variety of foraging methods -- dabbles at surface of water, upends in shallows, dives underwater (propelled by feet), grazes on land. Coots propel themselves through the water by pumping their heads back and forth. Flocks forage along the shore or on lawns. Coots also dive for aquatic plants.
Nesting and Reproduction
American coots are territorial during the breeding season, defending a small territory against other incoming birds. American coots are monogamous and pairs stay together for life. The mating process starts with a great show. Male and female both start off displaying in front of each other and calling to one another, while they splash about. The mating process starts on the water and finishes on the land. Breeding occurs around May and June.
Nests are almost always built over water on floating platforms and almost always associated with dense stands of living or dead vegetation such as reeds, cattails, bulrushes, sedges, and grasses. Occasionally, the nest may be built on the edge of a stand of vegetation, where it is clearly visible. Nest site is among tall marsh vegetation in shallow water. The nest, built by both the male and female, is a floating platform made of stems of marsh plants. It is concealed in vegetation and anchored to surrounding plants. Several similar platforms may be built, only one or two used for nesting. The nest material is woven into a shallow basket with a hollowed interior lined with finer smooth material to hold the eggs. The entire nest is generally a floating structure anchored to upright stalks. Average diameter is 12 inches, with a 12 to 15-inch ramp and an egg cup of about 1 inch in depth and 6 inches in diameter. Both adults construct a nest of about 35cm across. Nests are at the edge of the reed cover at the pond’s edge. They have a ramp leading into the water for easier access for the young.
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Females lay 6-11 eggs which both sexes incubate. Clutch Size: 8 to 12 eggs. The eggs are buff, pinkish, or buffish stone, sub-elliptical, and are 1.9 by 1.3 in. 8 to 10 pink eggs with brown spots are laid at a time. Both parents incubate the eggs, for around 21 to 25 days. The incubation period is about 23 to 27 days, but note that hatching is asynchronous, with the first egg hatching about 3 to 4 days ahead of the last laid egg. They share the tasks of feeding and teaching the young, dividing the hatchlings between them. The young are able to swim soon after hatching and follow the parents to be fed. American Coot hatchlings are precocial but often remain in the nest for up to 1 or 2 days. During this time, the yolk sac provides energy, and the delayed departure is likely related to the asynchronous hatching of eggs. Young probably able to fly at about 7-8 weeks after hatching. 1 or 2 broods per year.
Behavior and Social Structure
American coots are diurnal social birds that live in flocks and are the only rail family members to live in groups. These birds can make a wide range of noises, from clucking to grunting, to communicate with each other and also to threaten predators. On two occasions a coot will splash: in the mating season for the purpose of attracting attention, and also to discourage predators. Very aggressive in defense of nesting territory. In courtship, male may pursue female across water. Displays include swimming with head and neck lowered, wings arched, tail raised to show off white patches.
In flight coots are clumsy and labored (though less so than Common Moorhens). To get airborne, coots typically have to beat their wings while running across the water for many yards. Coots sometimes gather in winter flocks of several thousand, sometimes mixing with other waterfowl. They sometimes steal food from others including ducks. Nods its head as it swims; walks on land, showing big feet with lobes along toes. Fairly easily from a distance by their bobbing heads. Swimming on the surface of the water or walking on the ground.
Migration
American Coot migration is described as complex, variable, and not well understood. Birds from the northern portions of the range, where wetlands are susceptible to freezing, migrate long to moderate distances in fall and spring. Birds at more southerly or westerly locations may only migrate during severe winter weather. Other birds at southerly locations of their range are apparently nonmigratory. May winter as far north as open water permits. Probably migrates mostly at night. From late August through December, local birds and migrants often congregate on large bodies of water. Wintering flocks may be found in bays along the coast.
Conservation Status
American Coots are common and widespread, and populations appear to be stable, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates the global breeding population at 7.1 million and rates them 8 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, indicating a species of low conservation concern. According to the IUCN Red List, the total American coot population size is estimated at 6 million individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, but its numbers today are decreasing.
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Still abundant in many areas, although has decreased in recent decades in some areas, especially in east. Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. Conservation of wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region, especially semipermanent wetlands, is important for breeding American Coots.
Coot aren’t hunted nearly as much as ducks since many hunters consider them inedible. Harvest in 2022-2023 in the Atlantic Flyway was 170,000, the Mississippi Flyway harvest was 261,500, the Central Flyway harvest was 32,600, and in the Pacific Flyway, it was 179,700. An additional 5,000-7,500 American Coots are harvested by hunters in Canada.
Threats
Coots live in wetlands and can accumulate toxins from pollution sources including agricultural runoff, industrial waste, and nuclear facilities. Climate change is already impacting birds, their prey, and their habitat.