American coot: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the American coot lives – recorded in 35 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Fulica americana
Group	Herons, storks, cranes & flamingos
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	35 countries
Continents	Europe, North America, South America
Class	Bird
Order	Gruiformes
Family	Rallidae

Where does the American coot live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the American coot in 35 countries and territories across Europe, North America and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: South America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the American coot endangered?

The American coot’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the American coot?

The American coot (Fulica americana) is a bird in the order Gruiformes and the family Rallidae, genus Fulica. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

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.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article American coot (revision 1380651490), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q470016 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).