7

Red-knobbed Coots are all-black henlike birds, with a light-grey bill and a white frontal shield from the back part of the upper mandible to near the top of their heads. On top of the shield they have two small red knobs that are prominent during the breeding season and inconcpicuous in eclipse. Their eyes are red, the legs are bluish-grey, with partially webbed feet.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Red-knobbed Coot is available HERE .

Red-knobbed Coots are basically an African species, which is sedentary throughout its range. The range encompasses mainly South and East Africa (except the lowlands around the Horn of Africa). There are also populations in north-western Africa, parts of Iberia and the Balearic Islands and a few reports from Oman.

In Europe Red-knobbed Coots are found exclusively in Iberia (mostly the southern two thirds, southward of a line connecting Barcelona, Spain, with Coimbra, Portugal), but also in some coastal areas in the North-west and North and on the Balearic Islands.

Red-knobbed Coots have a preference for well-vegetated wetlands around freshwater lakes (including ponds in gardens and urban parks), but they can be found in rivers and creeks too.

J. Pires reports finding Red-knobbed Coots, in the Tejo estuary, Portugal, in January 2018, and another near Mora, Evora, Portugal, in May 2019. The species was found again in February 2025.

In May 2023, H. Dahlem-Senger found Red-knobbed Coots at Parc Natural de s'Albufera de Mallorca, Mallorca, Spain.