Giant Coot
Fulica gigantea Eydoux & Souleyet, 1841
Rallidae — Rails, Crakes & Coots
Giant Coot, Fulica gigantea, is a rail of the high Andes in South America, breeding from Peru to north-west Argentina. It lives on the Altiplano, where it uses ponds and lakes, especially those with weedy shallows. Adults are too heavy to fly and have a bulky build with a small head. They are deep slaty grey, darker on the head and neck, with a red bill, yellow frontal shield, and red legs and feet, which are distinctive among coots.
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rallidae — Rails, Crakes & Coots
- Breeding range
- South America: Peru to nw Argentina
