Nov 5, 2015 · The American Coot is a plump, chickenlike bird with a rounded head and a sloping bill. Their tiny tail, short wings, and large feet are visible on the rare occasions they take flight.

A close look at a coot—that small head, those scrawny legs—reveals a different kind of bird entirely. Their dark bodies and white faces are common sights in nearly any open water across the continent, and they often mix with ducks.

Feb 22, 2023 · This plump bird has blackish plumage that is more velvet black on the thick neck and head, and with dark gray highlights on the body. The rounded head is decorated with its most distinctive field mark; a rather stubby, white bill with a white “shield” on the front of the head.

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. Nest site is among tall marsh vegetation in shallow water.

Plump, chicken-like bird that acts like a duck. Gray overall with blacker head and white bill. Tiny tail and short wings. Feet are large, yellow-green, and oddly lobed. Head jerks back and forth when swimming. Forages for aquatic vegetation anywhere with water: ponds, city parks, marshes, reservoirs, lakes, ditches, and saltmarshes.

Nov 5, 2015 · A close look at a coot—that small head, those scrawny legs—reveals a different kind of bird entirely. Their dark bodies and white faces are common sights in nearly any open water across the continent, and they often mix with ducks.

Head and neck greyish-black, the upper parts deep bluish-grey, with an olivaceous tinge on the scapulars and inner secondaries. Quills greyish-brown, darker towards the tips; the edge of the wings, outer margin of first quill, and tips of outer secondaries, white.

The American coot (Fulica americana), also known as a mud hen or pouldeau, is a bird of the family Rallidae. Though commonly mistaken for ducks, American coots are only distantly related to ducks, belonging to a separate order.

The American Coot is a medium-sized bird with a white bill, yellow legs, and lobed toes. The body is dark gray to black with a blackish head and neck. Some of the undertail coverts are white and visible, especially during display.

Coots bob their heads while walking, quite likely because the head movements help them to judge the distance to their prey. While foraging on insects, they bob quickly; while eating greens, they bob slowly. Appearing somewhat like aquatic pigeons, …