Coot

Karibenblässhuhn (Fulica caribaea )

The coots (Fulica ) are water birds of the family of Rails. The genus is distributed worldwide. The center of diversity is in South America, where eight of the eleven extant species occur. The coots reach sizes 33-59 centimeters. Their plumage is either completely black or dark gray-black. In most species the edge of the under tail-coverts, however, is white. The coots were formerly placed in its own subfamily Fulicinae, but they are both in terms of the skeletal structure and the plumage ago near the moorhen ( Gallinula ) related. Coots have a relatively long, narrow pelvis. Characteristic of most species are the protruding forehead signs, when Rüsselblässhuhn (Fulica cornuta ) but has an expandable and erectile proboscis at the beak edge formed. The coloring of the beak of the frontal shield and legs varies greatly between species. When Andenblässhuhn (Fulica ardesiaca ), there are two color morphs, which are distinguished by the color of the gular areas from one another.

System

Eleven extant species can be distinguished:

  • Fulica atra Linneus, 1758 Coot Eurasia, Africa, Australia. Fulica prior and Fulica australis are synonyms.
  • Fulica cristata Gmelin, 1789 red-knobbed coot spread: Africa and Madagascar
  • Fulica alai Peale, 1848 - Hawaiiblässhuhn or alae keokeo Distribution: Hawaii
  • Fulica americana Gmelin, 1789 - American Coot North, Central and South America
  • Fulica caribaea Ridgway, 1884 - Karibenblässhuhn Distribution: Antilles
  • Fulica leucoptera Vieillot, 1817 - White-winged Coot: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Falkland Islands, Paraguay, Uruguay
  • Fulica ardesiaca Tschudi, 1843 - Andenblässhuhn Distribution: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
  • Fulica armillata Vieillot, 1817 - Yellow-billed Coot Argentina, southern Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay
  • Fulica rufifrons Philippi & Landenbeck, 1861 - Rotstirn Coot Argentina, southern Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, southern Peru, Uruguay
  • Fulica gigantea Eydoux & Souleyet, 1841 - Riesenblässhuhn Distribution: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru
  • Fulica cornuta Bonaparte, 1853 - Rüsselblässhuhn Distribution: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile

Extinct, however, are:

  • Fulica newtoni Milne -Edwards, 1867 - Mascarene Coot (Mauritius and Réunion) - Extinct ca.1700
  • Fulica chathamensis Forbes, 1892 - Chatham Coot ( Chatham Islands) - Extinct in the Holocene
  • Fulica prisca Hamilton, 1893 - New Zealand Coot (New Zealand) - Extinct in the Holocene
  • Fulica infelix Brodkorb, 1961 ( Malheur County, Oregon) - fossil from the Lower Pliocene of North America
  • Fulica americana shufeldti (formerly Fulica shufeldti ) Brodkorb, 1964 ( fossil from the Pleistocene of North America ) - Fulica minor Shufeldt, 1892 is a synonym invalides.
  • Fulica stekelesi Tchernov, 1968 ( Israel, Middle Pleistocene )

Incertae sedis

  • The extinct Barbados Rail was originally classified as Fulica podagrica. According to Storrs Lovejoy Olson However, this is at the found fossil material is a mixture of different Rail species, including at least a distinguished taxon that does not belong to the genus Fulica.
Johann Friedrich Gmelin Robert Ridgway Johann Jakob von Tschudi Christian Ludwig Landbeck Alphonse Milne-Edwards Henry Ogg Forbes Pierce Brodkorb Robert Wilson Shufeldt
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