{"id":18759,"date":"2015-01-25T05:23:50","date_gmt":"2015-01-25T12:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=18759"},"modified":"2025-10-05T15:04:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T20:04:06","slug":"american-coots-big-foot-birds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/01\/25\/american-coots-big-foot-birds\/","title":{"rendered":"American Coots – Big Foot Birds"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"UtahUtah Bigfoot Bird – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 320, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Early in January I was able to photograph a few American Coots as they walked on ice at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management area and marveled again at how big their feet are.<\/p>\n

American Coots are part of the rail family but instead of being secretive lurkers, coots are found in the open swimming, chasing, or fighting with each other.<\/p>\n

Here in Utah I often see them in the company of grebes and ducks in the marshy areas near the Great Salt Lake and at certain times of the year I see them in large numbers on the shoreline of the lake.<\/p>\n

They stay around until the water freezes over and then come back before the ice is completely gone.<\/p>\n

Back to those big feet, American Coots<\/span><\/a> use those feet to paddle in the water and when they fight they often use their feet to attack each other.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my American Coot photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Early in January I was able to photograph a few American Coots as they walked on ice at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management area and marveled again at how big their feet are.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":146312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[137,27,1022,697,26],"tags":[4004,4010,4980,4979,2772,2773,4533,4121,4064,4094,4095,373],"class_list":["post-18759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-coots","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-american-coot","tag-big-feet","tag-big-foot","tag-coot","tag-coots","tag-frost-flowers","tag-fulica-americana","tag-ice","tag-marsh","tag-wetlands","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/american-coot-big-feet-mia-mcpherson-2167.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-4Sz","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33158,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/11\/22\/an-american-coot-running-on-water\/","url_meta":{"origin":18759,"position":0},"title":"American Coot Running On Water","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"About two weeks ago I photographed this American Coot running on water at Farmington Bay WMA.","rel":"","context":"In "American Coots"","block_context":{"text":"American Coots","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/gruiformes\/american-coots\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Coot running on water at Farmington Bay WMA, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/american-coot-running-mia-mcpherson-9354.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/american-coot-running-mia-mcpherson-9354.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/american-coot-running-mia-mcpherson-9354.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/american-coot-running-mia-mcpherson-9354.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7020,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/01\/05\/american-coots-on-a-cold-winter-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":18759,"position":1},"title":"American Coots On A Cold Winter Day","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 5, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Looking at the huge lobed feet of American Coots is enough to make me laugh. Yesterday I just could not resist these birds.","rel":"","context":"In "American Coots"","block_context":{"text":"American Coots","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/gruiformes\/american-coots\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Coot's large lobed feet, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/american-coot-foot-mia-mcpherson-8207.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/american-coot-foot-mia-mcpherson-8207.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/american-coot-foot-mia-mcpherson-8207.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/american-coot-foot-mia-mcpherson-8207.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":98852,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/01\/11\/focusing-on-american-coot-photos-at-farmington-bay\/","url_meta":{"origin":18759,"position":2},"title":"Focusing On American Coot Photos At Farmington Bay","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 11, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday morning I spent part of my time focusing on taking American Coot photos in the marshes and wetlands of Farmington Bay WMA. I adore these goofy birds.","rel":"","context":"In "American Coots"","block_context":{"text":"American Coots","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/gruiformes\/american-coots\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Coot watching water droplets fall from its foot, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/american-coot-adult-water-droplets-mia-mcpherson-7071.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/american-coot-adult-water-droplets-mia-mcpherson-7071.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/american-coot-adult-water-droplets-mia-mcpherson-7071.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/american-coot-adult-portrait-mia-mcpherson-3153.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/american-coot-adult-portrait-mia-mcpherson-3153.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/american-coot-adult-portrait-mia-mcpherson-3153.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/american-coot-adult-portrait-mia-mcpherson-3153.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44753,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/02\/04\/american-coot-chase-aggressive-territorial-behavior\/","url_meta":{"origin":18759,"position":4},"title":"American Coot Chase – Aggressive Territorial Behavior","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"American Coots are quarrelsome birds and they are quick to give chase whether it is over food or territory and they will fight, sometimes even to death, for both.","rel":"","context":"In "American Coots"","block_context":{"text":"American Coots","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/gruiformes\/american-coots\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Coots running on the water, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/american-coot-chase-mia-mcpherson-1168.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/american-coot-chase-mia-mcpherson-1168.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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