Red-gartered Coot
Fulica armillata
Fairly large, common, and widespread coot of lowlands. Found on fresh to brackish ponds and lakes; also at river mouths and locally on coastal waters. Feeds mainly while swimming, but also walks readily on shorelines. Bill pattern is diagnostic: pale yellow forehead shield is separated from brighter yellow bill by a broken dark red band. Also note the red “garters” on its legs, often hidden when swimming. Juvenile has extensively whitish head. Often occurs alongside White-winged and Red-fronted Coots.
Identification
The red-gartered coot is 43 to 51 cm (17 to 20 in) long. The sexes are alike. Adults have a yellow bill and frontal shield with a patch of red between them. (The bill is sometimes reddish.) Their legs are orange-yellow to yellow with a pale red "garter" above the ankle. Their plumage is slaty gray that is blacker on the head and neck. Their undertail coverts are white. Immature birds have a paler bill than adults and olive legs and feet. Juveniles are drab gray-brown with dusky mottling on a white head and neck.
Taxonomy
The red-gartered coot is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Fulica armillata
- Authority
- Vieillot, 1817
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rallidae
- Genus
- Fulica
Range and habitat
The red-gartered coot is found from central and southern Chile, Paraguay, and southeastern Brazil south through Argentina to Tierra del Fuego. It has reached the Falkland Islands as a vagrant, and sight records in Bolivia lead the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society to classify it as hypothetical in that country. Fossils of this species are known from the Laguna de Tagua Tagua formation of Chile.<p>The red-gartered coot inhabits large ponds, lakes, rivers, and marshes, and in winter sheltered marine bays. It is generally a bird of the lowlands but occurs up to about 1,200 m (3,900 ft) in Patagonia, to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in the southern Andes, and as high as 2,100 m (6,900 ft) in northwestern Argentina.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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