Family RALLID^. Genus Fulica. 



Subfamily Gallinulin/e. 



COMMON COOT. 



FULICA KV^K—Linnaus. 



Geographical Distribution. — British: Less common and 

 more locally distributed than the Waterhen, but widely distributed 

 in all suitable localities throughout the British Islands, extending 

 to the Outer Hebrides and the Orkneys. To the Shetlands and 

 the Channel Islands it is only an accidental visitor. Drainage 

 and reclamation of waste marshy grounds have caused its numbers 

 to decrease in some districts, especially in the eastern counties ; 

 although, on the other hand, there is considerable evidence of 

 its increase in others. Foreign : Including allied forms, almost 

 cosmopolitan. Generally distributed throughout Europe, breeding 

 in the west as far north as lat. 60° in Scandinavia and West 

 Russia, but in the Ural Mountains only up to lat. 57°; whilst in 

 West Siberia it only reaches lat. 55°. It is a summer migrant to 

 East Siberia, the Baikal country, the valley of the Amoor, East 

 Mongolia, Northern China, and the north island of Japan ; but 

 is a resident in the main island of Japan, South China, Formosa, 

 Java, and Australia. It is a resident throughout the Burmese 

 peninsula, India, and Persia, but only a summer migrant to 

 Russian Turkestan, and passes Afghanistan on migration. 

 Tracing its distribution westwards we find it to be a resident in 

 Asia Minor, Palestine, North Africa, and the Azores. It is 

 known on the Canaries and Madeira on migration, and during 

 winter is found on the African continent as far south as Sene- 

 gambia in the west, and the Blue Nile in the east. It is also a 

 bird of regular passage over the Faroes, occurs accidentally in 

 Iceland, and has been known once to stray to Greenland. In 

 the southern portions of its range it is more abundant in winter 



