American Coots

Description:

The American Coot is a plump, chickenlike bird with a rounded head and a sloping bill. Their tiny tail, short wings, and large feet are visible on the rare occasions they take flight. Coots are dark-gray to black birds with a bright-white bill and forehead. The legs are yellow-green. At close range you may see a small patch of red on the forehead.

Habitat:

Upper Texas Coast (UTC) 108 BRAZORIA NWR: Brazoria is a vital complex of coastal wetlands and prairie harboring more than 300 bird species. The refuge serves as an end point of the Central Flyway for waterfowl in winter, and an entry point for neotropical migratory songbirds tired from a 600-mile Gulf crossing from Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Notes:

There was a pair in a pond behind the Visitor Center.