NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Red-knobbed Coot
Fulica cristata J. F. Gmelin, 1789
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
An adult Red-knobbed Coot in Cape Town, South Africa.
shi zhao · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The red-knobbed coot or crested coot (Fulica cristata) is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae.
It is a resident breeder across much of Africa and in southernmost Spain on freshwater lakes and ponds. It builds a nest of dead reeds near the water's edge or more commonly afloat, laying about 7 eggs (or more in good conditions).
Wikipedia contributors, Red-knobbed coot; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:37:02.898991+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Fulica cristata J. F. Gmelin, 1789
- Name authority
- J. F. Gmelin, 1789
- Common name
- Red-knobbed Coot
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rallidae
- Genus
- Fulica
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderGruiformes
- familyRallidae
- genusFulica Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesFulica cristata J. F. Gmelin, 1789
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Fulica. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Horned CootFulica cornuta Bonaparte, 1853 | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Giant CootFulica gigantea Eydoux & Souleyet, 1841 | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-fronted CootFulica rufifrons Philippi & Landbeck, 1861 | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mascarene CootFulica newtonii Milne-Edwards, 1867 | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China)
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=176297 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6JRW5. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.