American Coot

Fulica americana

American Coot (Fulica americana) is a water-associated bird of marshes, lakes, rivers, coasts, flooded fields, or wooded wetlands. Field identification usually centers on bill shape, leg color, body size, molt stage, breeding plumage, and the balance of white, gray, brown, black, green, or blue tones. It may graze, dive, wade, swim, or hunt from the water edge, so location, season, and release habitat matter in records.

In stewardship records, this label keeps American coot separate from broader catch-all categories and from domestic look-alikes. Track source, locality, life stage, permits when relevant, health findings, and the observed color form rather than forcing a generic entry; that keeps releases, transfers, husbandry notes, and future image prompts auditable for American Coot.