Coots
Fulica
Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus Fulica, the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usually easy to see, often swimming in open water. They are close relatives of the moorhen. However, the Coot typically appears 'dumpier' and lacks the distinctive red frontal face of the moorhen.
15 branches of this genus, most-observed first · about 10 known species
Common Coot
speciesFulica atra
American Coot
speciesFulica americana
Red-knobbed Coot
speciesFulica cristata
Red-gartered Coot
speciesFulica armillata
White-winged Coot
speciesFulica leucoptera
Slate-colored Coot
speciesFulica ardesiaca
Red-fronted Coot
speciesFulica rufifrons
Hawaiian Coot
speciesFulica alai
Giant Coot
speciesFulica gigantea
Horned Coot
speciesFulica cornuta
Eurasian × Red-knobbed Coot
hybridFulica atra × cristata
Fulica ardesiaca × armillata
hybridFulica ardesiaca × armillata
Mascarene Coot
speciesFulica newtonii
Chatham Island Coot
speciesFulica chathamensis
New Zealand Coot
speciesFulica prisca
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Fulica in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 472.