98 Birds of Colorado 



American Coot. Fulica americana. 



A.O.U Checklist no 221 — Colorado Records — Ridgway 73, p. 187 ; 

 Henshaw 75, p. 469 ; Drew 85, p. 18 ; Morrison 89, p. 167 ; Cooke 97, 

 pp. 18, 63, 199 ; Keyser 02, p. 145 ; Dille 03, p. 74 ; Henderson 03, 

 p. 234, 09, p. 227 ; Warren 06, p. 19 ; 08, p. 20 ; 09, p. 13 ; Marknaan 

 07, p. 155 ; Richards 08, p. 38 ; Rockwell 08, p. 158 ; Hersey & 

 Rockwell 09, p. 114. 



Description. — Advdt — Dark ashy-grey above, paler below, darkening 

 on the head and neck to blackish ; edge of the alula, outer edge of the 

 outer web of the outer primary, tips of the secondaries and outer under- 

 tail-coverts white ; central under tail-coverts black ; iris carmine, bill 

 white or fleshy with a spot of reddish-black near the tip and at the 

 base of the frontal shield, legs yeUowish-green. Length 14-0 ; wing 7-6 ; 

 tail 1-75 ; culmen with frontal shield 1-70 ; tarsus 2-0. 



In winter the aljdomen is whitish owing to white tips to the feathers ; 

 young birds are duUer and paler ; they have the bill dingy and no 

 frontal shield. 



Distribution. — From New Brunswick and British Columbia south- 

 wards through the West Indies and Central America to northern 

 South America. 



The American Coot or Mud-hen, as it is more familiarly termed, 

 is a common summer resident in Colorado, breeding plentifully 

 chiefly in the north-eastern plains region and in the mountain parks, 

 but also at very considerable elevations, up to 10,000 feet at least. 

 There is a nestling in the Aiken collection obtained by Aiken at California 

 Gulch near Leadville, between 10,000 and 11,000 feet. It does not 

 seem to be so abundant on the western slopes, where it is noted as not 

 common both near Coventry (Warren) and in Mesa co. (Rockwell). 

 It arrives from the south about the second haK of March. I am told 

 by Hersoy that a certain number spend the winter at Barr Lake, 

 while this is confirmed by Richards, who saw a Mud-hen at Littleton 

 on Christmas Day, 1907. 



Other breeding records are Loveland (Gale), Greeley (Hall), Middle 

 and South Parka (Carter), Buena Vista (Keyser), and San Luis Lake 

 (Henshaw). 



Habits. — Coots somewhat resemble Gallinules ia their 

 habits, but they are more social in their ways, and fonder 

 of open water. They like to swim about in small com- 

 panies, nodding their heads in a characteristic fashion 

 as they go, and are easily identified by their shiny-whity 

 beaks. They rise from the water with considerable 



