Bird Album
Giant Coot
Fulica gigantea Eydoux & Souleyet, 1841
48–59 cmLength2.4 kgWeight
The giant coot (Fulica gigantea) is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots.
Busiest months: October–November · Most records: Chile, Bolivia, Peru
Where and when it's recorded
Giant Coot has been recorded at 13 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- PN Lauca – Lago ChungaráChile407 records
- La CumbreBolivia187 records
- PN Lauca – Las CuevasChile113 records
More places
- Lago PiurayPeru36 records
- Norte del Campo AlegreArgentina13 records
- PutreChile9 records
- Humedal Lucre-HuacarpayPeru8 records
- Laguna AlalayBolivia4 records
- Río Lluta – DesembocaduraChile4 records
- CoroicoBolivia1 record
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The giant coot (Fulica gigantea) 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.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Giant Coot?
The Giant Coot is about 48–59 cm long and weighs around 2.4 kg.
Where does the Giant Coot live?
Its breeding range: South America: Peru to northwestern Argentina. It is most often recorded in Chile, Bolivia and Peru.
When is the best time to see the Giant Coot?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October and November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Giant Coot endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Giant Coot as Least Concern.
What does the Giant Coot eat?
Main food: Aquatic plants.
What family is the Giant Coot in?
It belongs to the family Rails, Crakes & Coots (Rallidae), order Gruiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 48–59 cm
- Weight
- 2.4 kg
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Aquatic plants
- Lifestyle
- On the water surface
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 268 mm
- Tail
- 66 mm
- Bill
- 52 mm
- Tarsus
- 97 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
South America: Peru to northwestern Argentina
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rails, Crakes & Coots Rallidae
- Genus
- Fulica
Other birds in the genus Fulica
Red-fronted CootFulica rufifrons
Horned CootFulica cornuta
Red-gartered CootFulica armillata
Eurasian CootFulica atra
Red-knobbed CootFulica cristata
Hawaiian CootFulica alai
American CootFulica americana
Andean CootFulica ardesiaca
White-winged CootFulica leucoptera
Grey-throated RailCanirallus oculeus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Eduardo Muñoz Orellana. ↗
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