Hawaiian coot

Hawaiian coot
Hawaiian coot with yellowish frontal shield
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae
Genus: Fulica
Species:
F. alai
Binomial name
Fulica alai
Peale, 1849

The Hawaiian coot (Fulica alai), also known as the ʻalae keʻokeʻo in Hawaiian, is a bird in the rail family, Rallidae, that is endemic to Hawaiʻi.[2] In Hawaiian, ʻalae is a noun and means mud hen.[3] Kea or its synonym keo is an adjective for white.[4] It is similar to the American coot at 33–40.6 cm (13–16 in) in length and weighing around 700 g (1 lb 9 oz). It has black plumage and a prominent white frontal shield. Its natural habitats are freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, coastal saline lagoons, and water storage areas. The bird was federally listed in October 1970 as an endangered species [5] and is considered both endemic and endangered by the state of Hawaiʻi. It is threatened by habitat loss and introduced predators such as the small Asian mongoose.[1] The Makalawena Marsh on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi has been listed as a National Natural Landmark to preserve one of its last nesting areas.[6]

  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2016). "Fulica alai". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22692920A93374177. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22692920A93374177.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ "ʻAlae keʻokeʻo or Hawaiian coot" (PDF). Hawaii’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. State of Hawaiʻi. 2005-10-01. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-03.
  3. ^ Parker, Henry H. "1". Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian to English (see alae) (PDF). p. 47. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  4. ^ Parker, Henry H. "5". Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian to English (see kea) (PDF). p. 278. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  5. ^ United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 1970. Conservation of Endangered Species and other Fish or Wildlife: United States List of Endangered Native Fish and Wildlife. Federal Registry 35: 16047-16048.
  6. ^ Makalawena Marsh Archived 2010-05-28 at the Wayback Machine on National Park Service web site