DVOC - Ornithological Studies

AMERICAN COOT / EURASIAN COOT

	AMERICAN COOT **Fulica americana** American Coot at Delaware Valley Birding Resources	EURASIAN COOT **Fulica atra**
	© A & J Binns	© A & J Binns
Size and Structure	15 ½”. Slightly smaller with a slimmer straighter back profile than Eurasian	16 ½”
Plumage	Paler gray plumage, giving it a slightly stronger contrast with blacker head and neck	Darker sooty gray body with black head
Bill	Whitish with a dusky reddish-brown sun-terminal band	Pinkish hue
Frontal Plate	Dark reddish-brown. Some show a white frontal shield	White
Undertail Coverts	Outer undertail coverts are white	All black
Head Shape	More angular than Eurasian	More rounded head
Facial Feathering	Black facial feathering at the base of the bill more rounded and not as pointed as on Eurasian	Black facial feathering at the base of the bill projects to a sharp point
Flight	Whitish trailing edge to secondaries a little more conspicuous

	AMERICAN COOT Fulica americana	EURASIAN COOT Fulica atra
Size and Structure	15 ½”. Slightly smaller with a slimmer straighter back profile than Eurasian	16 ½”
Plumage	Paler gray plumage, giving it a slightly stronger contrast with blacker head and neck	Darker sooty gray body with black head
Bill	Whitish with a dusky reddish-brown sun-terminal band	Pinkish hue
Frontal Plate	Dark reddish-brown. Some show a white frontal shield	White
Undertail Coverts	Outer undertail coverts are white	All black
Head Shape	More angular than Eurasian	More rounded head
Facial Feathering	Black facial feathering at the base of the bill more rounded and not as pointed as on Eurasian	Black facial feathering at the base of the bill projects to a sharp point
Flight	Whitish trailing edge to secondaries a little more conspicuous