AmericanCoot1

Photo Study Of American Coots At E.B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine), January 29th, 2012

   I was able to get to Brig this morning and while there were other birds there, I decided to concentrate on photographing the American Coot. There
   had to be well over one hundred and fifty of them from the pools surrounding Gull Tower all the way around the impoundments on the insides of
   the dikes.

Here are some of the photos:

    The American Coot (Fulica americana) is a bird of the family Rallidae which also includes both
    the American Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) and the Common Gallinule (Gallinula
    galeata), formerly the Common Moorhen. The Coot inhabits wetlands and open water bodies.
    Measuring 13–17 inches in length and 23–28 inches across the wings, adults 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. From up close, a dark band can be seen at the billtip. The body is dark gray to     blackish, with the head and neck darker than the rest of the body. Their legs are yellowish-green to
    dark gray-green, with lobed toes rather than webbed feet. Body mass in females ranges from 0.94
    to 1.38 lbs and in males from 1.27 to 1.87 lbs. They breed in wetlands and marshes from southern
    Quebec to the Pacific coast of North America and as far south as northern South America. Birds
    from temperate North America east of the Rocky Mountains migrate to the southern United
    States and southern British Columbia. They are often year-round residents where water remains
    open in winter and are frequently seen swimming with their characteristic bobbing motion. They
    can dive for food but they also forage on land. American Coots are omnivorous, eating plant
    material, arthropods, fish and other aquatic animals. They nest in a well-concealed location in tall
    reeds. Outside the breeding season, particularly in winter, they often gather together in huge
   flocks for protection and socializing. These groups of coots are called covers or rafts.
                                                               (Cornell BNA; Wikipedia; Sibley Guide To Birds)

For comparative purposes, the photograph above of a juvenile
Common Gallinule was taken at Finis Pool in Bombay Hook NWR in 2007

The Photograph Above Of A Common Gallinule And Five Babies
Was Taken At Hobe Sound, FL in 2009

Species Seen Today:

Mute Swan	Hooded Merganser	Northern Harrier
Canada Goose	Bufflehead	Peregrine Falcon
Snow Goose	Green-winged Teal	Song Sparrow
Northern Pintail	Great Black-backed Gull	Yellow-rumped Warbler
American Black Duck	Herring Gull	Northern Mockingbird
American Coot	Great Blue Heron	European Starling

To see a larger image of any of the photos below, please click on either the thumbnail or the caption...thanks!


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AmericanCoot4	AmericanCootDives	AmericanCootUnder	AmericanCoot5	AmericanCoot6

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