Nature Bulletin No. 351-A   September 27, 1969
Forest Preserve District of Cook County
George W. Dunne, President
Roland F. Eisenbeis, Supt. of Conservation

****:COOTS. GALLINULES AND RAILS

Each spring and fall, thousands of Coots stop to rest and feed in the 
marshes and shallower lakes of the Chicago region, or along the shores 
of Lake Michigan, and some nest here in summer. Great rafts of them 
may be seen: dark slate-gray birds, smaller than most ducks, with black 
heads and white pointed beaks. A coot's head bobs forward and back as 
it swims, like that of a chicken walking, and hence the common name 
"mudhen". They are less wary than ducks and drift casually away from 
an intruder but when seriously alarmed they skitter off, spanking and 
splattering the water with their wings and feet until airborne.

The coot is the most aquatic member of its family, which includes the 
gallinules and rails. Its long toes, with sharp toenails, have scalloped 
lobes which enable it to swim and dive like a duck but it can run quite 
rapidly on land. Coots are very noisy, gabbling all sorts of croaks, 
hoots, grunts and other queer sounds. All coots have a silly gawky 
expression and adult males have fiery red eyes. They are as good to eat 
as ducks and many are killed by hunters. They feed on small aquatic 
animals and underwater plants but are especially fond of chara or musk 
grass. By November, always migrating at night, they have departed for 
the Gulf Coast, the West Indies, Mexico or Central America.

The Florida Gallinule or Water Hen is found in freshwater marshes 
from California to Chile, and from Argentina to Maine, Ontario and 
Minnesota. Although much more common in our southern states, a few 
nest here in Cook County. They have a great variety of harsh fretful 
calls, the most common being 4 or 5 squawks followed by a series of 
clucks or abrupt froglike "kups". Gallinules do not gather in large 
flocks, like coots. Their large long-toed feet enable them to walk or run 
over the surface of the water on lily pads or other floating vegetation. 
The Florida Gallinule resembles a coot but is easily distinguished by its 
yellow-tipped scarlet beak and the scarlet plate on its forehead. It swims 
with the same bobbing motion but with its tail up, showing its white 
underside. The back is brownish and the flanks are marked with white.

The purple Gallinule is rarely found north of the tidewater marshes 
along our South Atlantic and Gulf coats. Excepting only the male wood 
duck, it has the most elegant coloring of any waterfowl: purple head and 
neck, glossy green upper parts, a yellow-tipped carmine beak, a pale 
blue shield on its forehead, and long yellow legs .

The Rails are shy secretive birds that live along the shores of marshes 
but are rarely seen. They have short rounded wings, long legs, and 
narrow bodies. Some kinds migrate to Bermuda, the West Indies, 
Central America, or as far as Brazil and Peru. Most species are 
especially noisy at dawn and dusk, with a variety of queer calls by 
which only an expert can identify them. The King Rail, about 17 inches 
long, is largest. It is brownish, with a reddish-brown breast and a long 
curved bill. The Virginia Rail, very similar, has gray cheeks and is 
about 10 inches long. The Sora Rail, with a black face, and short yellow 
bill, is a little smaller and most common. The Yellow Rail and the 
Black Rail, a spotted mouselike bird is only 6 inches long.

We know a man, poor soul, who is as thin as a rail and as silly as a coot.