Fulica americana
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae
Adult.— Head and neck blackish; body, wings, and tail slate-gray, paler below; wing when spread shows a little white; bill whitish, tipped with brown.
Immature.— Similar, but much whiter below. Bill dull flesh-color.
The name Coot is applied at the sea-shore to the Scoters, a genus of sea-ducks, but the bird known as Coot on small inland waters, though in general resembling a duck, is a relative of the rails and gallinules, with lobed and not webbed feet. It is a migrant through New York and New England, rare in New England in April, but fairly common from late September to November. In the Hudson Valley it is said to be common from the end of April to the middle of May. It frequents the swampy borders of lakes or sluggish streams, where it seeks the shelter of bushes and reeds. When several Coot are together, they often play on the water, and frequently run along the surface, making a loud splattering noise. A bird often stands up full length out of the water, shows its ungainly form, and then sinks forward into the water. In feeding, a Coot dives readily, and pulls up the aquatic plants from the shallow bottom. It swims freely but generally with a backward and forward motion of the head, which distinguishes it from a duck. Langille, who studied the Coot on its breeding ground, describes it as “decidedly a noisy bird, its coo-coo-coo-coo being heard both day and night.” It also has a squack similar to the quack of a duck. As a migrant, however, it is generally silent. The white bill is the best field-mark, and is particularly noticeable when the bird faces the observer.
Hoffmann – A Guide to the Birds of New England and Eastern New York (1904)