Habitat: The American coot will favor areas of open waters. Distribution: This species is migratory. It breeds from North America to Nicaragua and from Colombia to Ecuador. The northern birds will migrate south during winter at least to Panama and the West Indies. Natural History Notes: The American coot is an aquatic bird that will often dive to catch its food, but can also forage on land. It is an omniverous bird that will eat plant material, arthropods, fishes and other aquatic animals. This species is highly territorial during the breeding season and the male and the female will often fight with their neighboors. However, after the breeding season, you will find them clustered in groups. Conservation status according to IUCN 2008 Red list: Least Concern (LC). Characteristics: The total length of this species varies between 13 inches and 14 inches (measured from tip of bill to end of tail). This bird has a heavy white bill with a dark ring around it, near the tip. At the base of the bill, we can also distinguish a red-brown patch. Then, the plumage is mostly gray, with a blacker coloration on the neck and the head, except for the white under tail-coverts and the white tips on the secondaries (line of wing feathers closest to the body).