| Red-gartered Coot (Fulica armillata) |
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The Red-gartered Coot is distributed from Paraguay and southern Brazil to Tierra del Fuego in Argentina. It is found on lakes, rivers and marshes where it feeds on aquatic plants. It does indeed have a red "garter" which you can see on the first two photos but it is fairly difficult to pick out. The frontal shield is linked to the bill by a red line which is noticeable when fairly close but, at a distance it usually looks as though the shield is separated from the bill. |
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It is larger than the other coots found in the same areas but this is not obvious unless you see two species together as in the 3rd photo where it is beside a White-winged Coot Fulica leucoptera. When we were at Taim in late August, it was the most common coot that we saw. |
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For interesting identification points have a look at Alvaro Jaramillo's page on a mystery coot from Peru. | |||
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