American coot
Fulica americana
Identification Tips:
- Fairly large, duck-like waterbird with short wings and a short
tail
- Very short, thick bill
- Frequently seen both swimming and walking
- Often flicks and cocks short tail while walking, exposing white
outer undertail coverts
- Sexes similar
- Toes have lobed webbing, unlike gallinules
Adult:
- White bill with dark reddish ring just before tip
- White frontal shield with reddish oval near tip
- Slate gray head, neck, back, upperwings, breast and belly
Juvenile:
- Lacks the frontal shield of the adult
- Horn-colored bill may lack ring near tip
- Pale gray-brown head, neck, upperwings, breast and back; feathers
on underparts often with paler edges
Similar species:
Common Moorhen is of similar size and shape but has a reddish
bill with a yellowish tip, a white stripe along the flanks, and a
brownish back.