---
title: "American Coot"
description: "Fulica americana — Birds. The American coot (Fulica americana), also known as a mud hen or pouldeau, is a bird of the family Rallidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/american-coot
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# American Coot

> Fulica americana — Birds. The American coot (Fulica americana), also known as a mud hen or pouldeau, is a bird of the family Rallidae.

- Scientific name: *Fulica americana*
- Category: `birds` (Birds)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Lakes & rivers)
- iNaturalist observations: 156836
- Wikidata: [Q470016](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q470016)
- iNaturalist taxon: [473](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/473)

## Names

- en: American Coot
- de: Amerikanisches Blässhuhn
- es: Gallareta americana
- fr: Foulque d'Amérique
- nl: Amerikaanse meerkoet
- pt: Galeirão-americano
- pl: Łyska amerykańska

## Countries with the most observations

US (115737), MX (18498), CA (15444), CO (1505), GT (201), DO (93), PR (88), HN (86), BS (74), SV (54), CU (39), NI (30)

## Summary

The American coot (Fulica americana), also known as a mud hen or pouldeau, is a bird of the family Rallidae. Though commonly mistaken for ducks, American coots are only distantly related to ducks, belonging to a separate order. Unlike the webbed feet of ducks, coots have broad, lobed scales on their lower legs and toes that fold back with each step to facilitate walking on dry land. Coots live near water, typically inhabiting wetlands and open water bodies in North America. Groups of coots are called covers or rafts. The oldest known coot lived to be 22 years old.
The American coot is a migratory bird that occupies…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_coot

## Photo

![American Coot](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/american-coot/medium.jpg)

Photo: Sean Haight · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/184053560

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/american-coot?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).