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7

Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) Alternate name(s): "Coot" Size: 35-38 cm Weight: 585-1100 g

Oman: Family Group 7 Family Group 7 Table Purple Swamphen Eurasian Coot Baillon's Crake MacQueen's Bustard Thumbnails page Classification table Index of bird names Birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Eurasian Coots are medium-sized waterhens. Their plumage is dark slate-grey, with a black head. The eyes are red, the legs and feet are grey. They are the only waterhens with a white frontal shield and bill. Male Eurasian Coots have a more prominent shield than females. Juvenile Eurasian Coots have a pale throat and duller plumage than adults.

Taxonomy, classification See Eurasian Coot at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat Click here for information on habitat and range 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 Eurasian Coot is available HERE . Eurasian Coots can be found basically all over central Europe, the British islands, southern Scandinavia, most of the Mediterranean and throughout temperate Asia plus the Indian subcontinent and, via far-east Asia, into Australia and New Zealand. In western and central Europe and in (sub)tropical Asia they are permanent residents, while in Asia Minor, Israel/Palestine and along the northern African coastal fringe they are mostly winter visitors. In Arabia Eurasian Coots, nominate race "atra" are mostly winter visitors around the Persian Gulf. In Oman they are found in wetlands along the North coast, in the border region with the UAE, at least as far as Muscat, but there is also a population on the South coast in Salalah.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "atra" We have not seen any Eurasian Coots, "atra", in Oman yet, but have previously spotted them in Europe. Race "australis" Eurasian Coots, race "australis", were spotted by us in Australia.

Photos

Race "atra"

We have taken photos of Eurasian Coots, nominate race "atra", in Europe. On this page we give a full description of the species/race, including breeding information.

Photos of Eurasian Coots, race "australis", were taken in Australia. On this page we give a full description of the species/race, including breeding information.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

eurcoot_dw_20190415.m4a	atra (Poland)	Contact calls?	© DW
eurcoot_jp_20190413.m4a	atra (Portugal)	Contact calls?	© JP
eurcoot_jp_20200117.m4a	atra (Portugal)	?	© JP
eurcoot_20200316_5.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	Contact calls(?)	© MD
eurcoot_20220504.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	Contact calls? (Q&A)	© MD
eurcoot_20161208.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	Alarm call	© MD
eurcoot_20151203.mp3	australis (NW NSW)	Alarm calls	© MD
eurcoot_20160725_2.mp3	australis (NW NSW)	Warning calls(?)	© MD
eurcoot_20200316.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	Warning calls(?)	© MD
eurcoot_20200316_4.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	Mating calls(?)	© MD
eurcoot_20161208_2.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	Upset/fighting(?)	© MD
eurcoot_20161104.mp3	australis (NW NSW)	Alarm calls (chick)	© MD
eurcoot_20230318.mp3	australis (NW NSW)	Various (Adult + 2 juveniles)	© MD
eurcoot_20140716.mp3	australis (NW NSW)	? (Immature)	© MD
eurcoot_20230318_2.mp3	australis (NW NSW)	? (2 juveniles)	© MD
eurcoot_20200316_2.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	?	© MD
eurcoot_20200316_3.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	?	© MD

More Eurasian Coot sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Sat, 23 May 2020, 6:14 +00:00