Eurasian Coot
Fulica atra
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderGruiformes (Cranes, Rails, and Allies)
- FamilyRallidae (Rails, Gallinules, and Coots)
- GenusFulica (Coots)
- SpeciesFulica atra (Eurasian Coot)
About the Eurasian Coot
The Eurasian coot (Fulica atra), also known as the common coot or Australian coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. It is found in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and parts of North Africa. It has a slaty-black body, a glossy black head and a white bill with a white frontal shield. The sexes are similar in appearance.
The Eurasian coot was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under its current binomial name Fulica atra. Linnaeus specified the locality as Europe but this is now restricted to Sweden. The binomial name is from Latin: Fulica means 'coot', and atra means 'black'.
Four subspecies are recognised: F. a. atra Linnaeus, 1758 – Europe and north Africa to Japan, India, southeast Asia, Philippines and Borneo F. a. lugubris Müller, S, 1847 – Java, Bali, northwest New Guinea F. a. novaeguineae Rand, 1940 – central New Guinea
F. a. australis Gould, 1845 – Australia and New Zealand An extinct subspecies F. atra pontica has been described from the Chalcolithic (around 4800–4400 BP) from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The Eurasian coot is 36–38... Wikipedia →
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Eurasian Coot in Camargue?
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Coot sighting in Camargue, based on 423 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Eurasian Coot in Camargue?
January has the highest sighting rate for Eurasian Coot in Camargue in our monthly data.