15.5 inches long. The American Coot is a fairly large chicken-like bird with short wings and a short tail. It is dark gray to black overall with a dark red eye. It has a short white thick bill with a dark ring near the tip. The white bill forms a shiled extending up the forehead. A red spot at the top of the shield indicates an adult. The undertail is white. The toes have lobed webbing.
The American Coot is a common migrant through the area. It may be seen at any time through the year when the lakes are free of ice. The best times are March through October. In spring rafts of 100s to 1000s of birds are at Lake Manawa just across the Missouri River from the Forest. It may be seen on the Great Marsh in Fontenelle Forest.
The American Coot is frequently seen either swimming or walking. It runs laboriously over the water to get airborne. The flight is swift and direct with rapid wingbeats and with the feet protruding past the tail. It breeds almost exclusively in freshwater marshes. It is a good swimmer and diver using the lobed webbed toes to help maneuver underwater. It generally forages on or under water and is almost exclusively an herbivore but it will consume grains, grasses, and agricultural crops on land. The Coot is raucous and quarrelsome. Its presence is often noticed due to its loud cackling, grunting, and croaking calls from deep within tall stands of emergent aquatic vegetation. It has a floating nest that is anchored to emergent stems.
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