Source and Additional Information

Animal Diversity Web
 
Allison Bridgman
Some rights reserved

Fulica americana is a social bird species that lives in flocks. The coots are the only members of the rail family to live in groups. They can make a wide variety of noises, from grunting to clucking, as a means of communication, between each other and to threatening predators. There are two times a coot will splash: during mating season to attract attention and to discourage predators. The osprey (a type of hawk) is the main coot predator. Since F. americana is more adapted to life in the water than other birds, they cannot take off with a "dead start". (Other birds can take to flight when startled, even when previously standing still.) Instead, the coots take a running start across the water to become airborne. They are migratory, and migrate as a flock. Their migration, though, is based on the weather and therefore highly irregular (Grzimek 1975; Terres 1980; Udvardy 1994).

Communication and Perception

Source and Additional Information

Animal Diversity Web
 
Allison Bridgman
Some rights reserved

American Coots can make a wide variety of noises, from grunting to clucking, as a means of communication, between each other and to threatening predators. There are two times a coot will splash: during mating season to attract attention and to discourage predators. American Coots also use their good sense of vision to communicate.