Coots and Gallinules, combined

A regulatory group of marsh birds; the recording represents American Coot.

Field guide

A regulatory group of marsh birds; the recording represents American Coot.

Identification

Shared features

Coots have lobed toes and pale bills; gallinules show different bill and body colors.

Male

Representative American coot: both sexes have a charcoal body, white bill and frontal shield, and lobed toes. Males average slightly larger, but visible plumage is alike.

Female

Representative American coot females share the same bill and lobed toes. Juveniles are paler; gallinules in this regulatory group have different bill colors and must be identified separately.

Habitat

Freshwater marshes, reed beds and shallow ponds with emergent plants.

Where to look during the day

Morning

At dawn, listen around emergent vegetation and scan open channels.

Afternoon

In the afternoon, watch sheltered water where birds swim or feed.

Evening

At dusk, listen along marsh edges as calling can increase.

Sounds

American Coots give varied clucks, grunts and sharp calls; gallinules sound different.

Recorded calls

American coot (representative)

Field recording of an American coot, representing this regulatory group. A narrower call type or the caller's sex is not assigned to this clip.

NPS & MSU Acoustic Atlas/Jennifer Jerrett · Recording source

Natural history source: Read the source

Bag limits

Bag and possession summaries.

Daily: 4Possession: 12

Official bag-limit source