Class Aves
Order Gruiformes
Family Rallidae
Fulica—Coots // Gallinula chloropus—Common Moorhen // Porzana carolina—Sora
The general requirement of emergent aquatic vegetation for cover limits the areas suitable for these birds to river valleys, ponds, lakes, and any other area of permanent water with suitable plants. Regional forms migrate, which may increase the places where they may be found.
Coots are virtually ubiquitous in
our area where proper aquatic conditions are found.
The U-Bar Cave record is recorded as ? Fulica, but is listed here since other species of Fulica are not continental North American.
Fig. 1. American Coots, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. Photograph by John J. Mosesso, courtesy of the National Biological Information Infrastructure.
Sites.
Early/Early-Mid Wisconsin: Rm Vanishing Floor (Harris 1993c).
Mid/Late Wisconsin: Sandblast Cave (Emslie 1988).
Mid/Late Wisconsin/Holocene: Sierra Diablo Cave (UTEP).
Mid Wisconsin-Holocene: Shelter Cave (Howard and Miller 1933).
Late Wisconsin: Charlies Parlor (Harris 1989); U-Bar Cave 18-20 ka (Harris 1989: ?).
Late Wisconsin/Holocene: Pendejo Cave (Harris 2003); Stanton's Cave (Rea and Hargrave 1984).
Literature. Emslie 1988; Harris 1989, 1993c, 2003; Howard and Miller 1933; Rea and Hargrave 1984.
Sites.
Late Wisconsin/Holocene: Stanton's Cave (Rea and Hargrave 1984).
Literature. Rea and Hargrave 1984.
The
Sora is associated with marsh habitats at all elevations in the region, though most
common historically in the major river valleys (Ligon 1961)
Fig. 1. Sora. Illustration after Coues (1903).
Sites.
Mid/Late Wisconsin: Sandblast Cave (Emslie 1988: cf. gen. et sp.).
Mid Wisconsin-Holocene: Shelter Cave (Howard and Miller 1933).
Literature. Emslie 1988; Howard and Miller 1933; Ligon 1961.
Last Update: 19 Mar 2013