Giant coot
| Giant coot | |
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| Giant coot at northern Chile | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Fulica |
| Species: | F. gigantea |
| Binomial name | |
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Fulica gigantea Eydoux & Souleyet, 1841 |
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The giant coot (Fulica gigantea) is a species of coot from South America. It is found at lakes in the altiplano from central Peru, through western Bolivia, to north-eastern Chile and extreme north-western Argentina.
With a total length of 48–64 cm (19–25 in), it is the second largest extant member of the family Rallidae, after the takahe, and adults are considered functionally flightless. It is the only coot with reddish legs. It has a small white frontal shield. An adult male weighed 2.7 kg (6.0 lb) while three adult females weighed 2.03–2.4 kg (4.5–5.3 lb).
As in the related horned coot, the giant coot is monogamous and the pair builds a huge nest in a highland lake. However, unlike the horned coot, the nest of the giant coot is primarily made of aquatic vegetation and – as it is fiercely territorial – it never forms colonies.
Young
Adult and young feeding
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Wikipedia