| Red-fronted coot Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Fulica |
| Species: | F. rufifrons |
| Binomial name | |
| Fulica rufifrons | |
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The red-fronted coot (Fulica rufifrons) is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. [2] [3] [4]
The red-fronted coot is 38 to 43 cm (15 to 17 in). Two male specimens weighed 685 and 735 g (24 and 26 oz) and one female 550 g (19 oz). The sexes are alike. Adults have a yellow bill, a dark chestnut-red frontal shield, and olive legs and feet. Unique among coots, their feet are not lobed. Their plumage is almost entirely dark slate gray except for white undertail coverts. Juveniles have a blackish bill, white spots on the throat, and gray-brown plumage with the same white undertail coverts as adults. [5]
The red-fronted coot is found coastally from southern Peru to central Chile, in at least one site in Bolivia, and from southeastern Brazil south through Uruguay to east central Argentina. It has also occurred as a vagrant in Paraguay and the Falkland Islands, though the last sighting at the latter location was in 1924. [5] [4] Clements extends its range to Tierra del Fuego. [6] Fossils of this species are known from the Laguna de Tagua Tagua formation of Chile. [7]
The red-fronted coot is primarily a bird of the lowlands, ordinarily ranging from sea level to 800 m (2,600 ft), but it occurs casually as high as 2,100 m (6,900 ft) in Argentina and is regularly found at 3,700 m (12,100 ft) at Alalay Lake, Bolivia. It inhabits the shallows of semi-open marshes and reedy lakes, especially those with floating vegetation such as duckweed. [5]
No regular movements of the red-fronted coot have been documented. However, sightings of vagrants outside its usual range suggest at least some wandering or dispersal. It appears to be only a winter inhabitant in the northern part of its Brazilian range. [5]
The red-fronted coot feeds mostly on the surface, pecking at vegetation, though it also dives for submerged food. In addition, it is known to graze near its usual marshes when they seasonally dry. It usually feeds in small flocks that sometimes include red-gartered coots (F. armillata). [5]
The red-fronted coot is monogamous. Its egg-laying season varies geographically, being September and October in Chile, May to November in Argentina, and September to January in Peru. It makes a nest of plant material low to the water in floating or emergent vegetation. Clutches average five to six eggs but range from two to nine. The black-headed duck (Heteronetta atricapilla) is a significant nest parasite. [5]
The red-fronted coot makes a "long, chattering series of calls, described as 'togo togo togo..., cu cu cu..., puhúh puhúh puhúh...', etc." It also has a "tuc" alarm call. [5]
The IUCN has assessed the red-fronted coot as being of Least Concern. It has a large range, and though its population size is not known it is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. [1] It is considered "not uncommon" in much of its range and abundant in marshes on the Pampas. [5]
Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus Fulica, the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usually easy to see, often swimming in open water.
The black-banded crake is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The russet-crowned crake is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, the Guianas, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.
The giant wood rail is a species of bird in the subfamily Rallinae of the rail, crake, and coot family Rallidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The Andean coot, also known as the slate-colored coot, is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The red-gartered coot is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The giant coot is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.
The white-winged coot is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands.
The grey-breasted crake is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.
The red-and-white crake is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The rufous-sided crake is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in every mainland South American country except Chile.
The Colombian crake is a species of bird in the subfamily Rallinae of the rail, crake, and coot family Rallidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.
The paint-billed crake is a species of bird in the subfamily Rallinae of the rail, crake, and coot family Rallidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay, and the Galápagos Islands.
The plumbeous rail is a species of bird in the subfamily Rallinae of the rail, crake, and coot family Rallidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.
The azure gallinule is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.
The ash-throated crake is a species of bird in the subfamily Rallinae of the rail, crake, and coot family Rallidae. It is found in every mainland South American country except Chile.
The dot-winged crake is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay.
The austral rail is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina and Chile.
The rufous-fronted thornbird, or common thornbird, is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru.
The Aztec rail or Mexican rail, is a Near Threatened species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is endemic to Mexico.
