American Coot --- the ATV disguised as a DUCK
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Summary: looks like a duck, swims like a duck; but has chicken feet. Rare in Prince Rupert area but this friendly being so common elsewhere that gets good attention on WWW |
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Do these look like Duck’s feet?
For some reason this bird seems to attract human mirth.
The best essay I came across had that approach: “The Preposterous Coot”
Still human viewpoints aside—the essay conveys the life history basics entertainingly.
Feet were extracted from a good photo.
And the original Audubon illustration/ narrative is worth looking at – that was “only” 1822 on the Mississippi River.
American coot Fulica Americana-- Basic identification
and taxonomy on USGS site
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AMCO American Coot Order: Gruiformes Family: Rallidae Genus:
Fulica |
With those webbed chicken feet---you can appreciate how this compromise allows fair mobility on land sea and air. It is just the transition that is difficult--- here is a Florida site that has sequence of “running on the water” to get airborne.
Locally
There are a pair of Coots that seem to hang out around the breakwater at Cow Bay floats. They are not very shy and even swam up to me as if to get a better look.
If you have other local sightings let NorthCoast know about them.