North Louisiana Wildlife

Follow Us through the Forests and Wetlands

American coot swimming

Did you know that American coots do not have webbed feet?

American Coots
at
a Glance

Two American Coots Swimming

Key Features:

American coots are dark gray or black birds with red eyes, white beaks that have black rings on the tips.

Least Concern - Population Decreasing

Habitat:

Lakes, marshes, park ponds, sewage ponds, and swamps

nesting habits:

American coots build basket nests out of bulrushes, cattails, grasses, reeds, and sedges on floating platforms in water.

seasons American coots are active in our area:

Winter

Diet:

Aquatic plants, crustaceans, insects, salamanders, snails, and tadpoles

hunting Behavior:

American coots forage on land and in water. They also steal from other birds.

Commonly Confused With:

Pied-Billed Grebes

Pied-billed grebe swimming

American coots are often confused with pied-billed grebes because both are plump water birds with white beaks that have a black stripe on them.

American coot swimming

American coots are gray. Pied-billed grebes are brown.

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