Photo © by Stanley Jones
Cordillera Blanca, Huascaran National Park, Laguna Patochocha, Pachacoto, Ancash, Peru, August 2017
Cordillera Blanca, Huascaran National Park, Laguna Patochocha, Pachacoto, Ancash, Peru, August 2017
- Fulica gigantea
Identification
48–59 cm (19-23¼ in)
Very large coot.
Mostly black, lacking white in undertail. Head has a distinct shape. Bill is red in lower mandible and tip, white upper mandible, and yellow frontal shield that continues narrowly to the crown where it is surrounded by two feather tufts, giving an impression of the head being partly split.
Distribution
South America: found in the Andes of southern Peru to northern Chile and northwestern Argentina.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Lakes of the high Andean steppe with adjacent puna grassland. Observed at heights around 3,491 m.
Behaviour
Breeding
Monogomous. Constructs nest on floating plant material.
Diet
Their diet consists almost entirely of aquatic vegetatation.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Alvaro Jaramillo. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton Field Guides. ISBN 0-691-11740-3
- Taylor, B. (2020). Giant Coot (Fulica gigantea). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/53703 on 13 February 2020)
- Birdforum Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Giant Coot. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 7 December 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Giant_Coot
