American Coot (Fulica americana)
About the American Coot
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. Unlike the webbed feet of ducks, coots have broad, lobed scales on their lower legs and toes that fold back with each step to facilitate walking on dry land. Coots live near water, typically inhabiting wetlands and open water bodies in North America. Groups of coots are called covers or rafts. The oldest known coot lived to be 22 years old.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 270 recordings for this species: 40 CC BY-NC-SA · 14 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Canada, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- Eurasian CootFulica atrarecording
- Red-knobbed CootFulica cristatarecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.