Coot Fulica atra   [Linnaeus, 1758]

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   Page updated:16-January-2013

Order: Gruiformes Family: Rallidae
BTO Codes: CO, COOT. EURING No: 4290
Number in Britain: 25 thousand pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: GREEN
European: Not a species of concern
Global: (Details)
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Resident Breeder, Winter Visitor
Subspecies: atra recorded in Britain (of 3 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 37 cm Wingspan: 75 cm Weight: M/F: 800 g    
Scientific name from: L.: fulica=the coot and L.: ater=black (esp. matte black)
World Distribution: Eurasia, Australia
Habitat: Lakes, marsh, rivers, seacoast
Diet: Omnivorous, but mostly aquatic plants
TitBit: Coots are aggressive birds, both to other species and their own kind; they have even been known to kill their own young, usually the youngest of the brood if they have too many to feed successfully.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: BirdTrends   
Regional Trends: England   English Regions
Distribution: Atlas Maps    BBS Maps
British Population Size:
    Summer: 22 to 28 thousand pairs in 2000
    Winter: 180 thousand individuals in 2004-09
    First Record: Recorded in Medieval times [Fossil evidence from Ipswichian (last) interglacial, c. 125,000 yr ago]
    Conservation Status: GREEN
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 GREEN     1996-2001 GREEN  
   Races of Concern: atra GREEN
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    Most frequent in: Lakes
    Also common in: Ponds
    And found in: Along Rivers
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
Migration routes: Map of foreign ringing recoveries  and summary map from Time to Fly (in pop-up windows)
European Population Size:
    Summer: 850 thousand to 1.5 million pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WCA(II,III), WBD(II*,III*), Bonn(II*), AEWA
Survey Results: Results from BirdTrack

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 53 x 36 mm Egg Weight: 36.5 g (of which 9 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 643
Clutch Size: 5 - 7 eggs
Incubation: 21- 24 days   by the: Male + Female
Fledging: 55 - 60days as: Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 1(2)
See trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.701 ± 0.026       
Juvenile Survival: 0.380 (in First-Year)  
Age at First Breeding: 2 years Typical Lifespan: 5 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 15 years 3 months 13 days (set in 1978)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics

Ring Size: G
Wing Length Sexually dimorphic (male much larger than female)
Male: 223.2 ± 7.0     Range 180.0 - 260.0 mm, (N = 385)
Female: 207.1 ± 5.8     Range 179.0 - 246.0 mm, (N = 242)
Weight Sexually dimorphic (male much larger than female)
Male: 930.9 ± 164.1 Range 460.0 - 1340 g , (N =178)
Female: 749.2 ± 135.1 Range 463.0 - 1200 g , (N =77)
Seasonal: Summer 785.0 ± 131.5 (N = 88)   Autumn 893.5 ± 166.7 (N = 309)   Winter 846.5 ± 171.8 (N = 1148)  
Source: British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names

Common Coot
Gaelic: Lach-bhlàir Welsh: Cwtiar
Danish: Blishøne Dutch: Meerkoet
Finnish: Nokikana French: Foulque macroule
German: Bläßhuhn Hungarian: Szárcsa
Icelandic: Bleshæna Irish: Cearc Cheannann
Italian: Folaga Norwegian: Sothøne
Polish: Lyska zwyczajna Portuguese: Galeirão-comum
Spanish: Focha común Swedish: Sothöna
Local Names:Snysin
Collective Noun:Covert

For More Information...

Books and Monographs:
   Taylor, B. & van Perlo, B. 1998 Rails Pica Press, Sussex [598.554 TAY]
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead