Red-gartered Coot

Red-gartered Coot

Fulica armillata

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Torres del Paine National Park

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

1,020 Verified sightings at Torres del Paine National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,293 In all 4 parks
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Red-gartered Coot

The red-gartered coot (Fulica armillata) is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The red-gartered coot is monotypic.

The red-gartered coot is 43 to 51 cm (17 to 20 in) long. The sexes are alike. Adults have a yellow bill and frontal shield with a patch of red between them. (The bill is sometimes reddish.) Their legs are orange-yellow to yellow with a pale red "garter" above the ankle. Their plumage is slaty gray that is blacker on the head and neck. Their undertail coverts are white. Immature birds have a paler bill than adults and olive legs and feet. Juveniles are drab gray-brown with dusky mottling on a white head and neck.

The red-gartered coot is found from central and southern Chile, Paraguay, and southeastern Brazil south through Argentina to Tierra del Fuego. It has reached the Falkland Islands as a vagrant, and sight records in Bolivia lead the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society to classify it as hypothetical in that country. Fossils... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:10

Brazil · 2020

© JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · XC528388 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:10

Chile · 2018

© Peter Boesman · XC449930 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Alarm call0:14

Chile · 2010

© Daniel González Amat · XC45449 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Torres del Paine National Park 🇨🇱 Chile
~50%
2 Nahuel Huapi National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
3 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
4 Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park 🇨🇱 Chile
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
2 Montevideo 🇺🇾 Uruguay
~20%
3 Cordoba 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
4 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
5 Santiago 🇨🇱 Chile
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Zoológico de Concepción 🇨🇱 Chile In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Red-gartered Coot in Torres del Paine National Park?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Red-gartered Coot sighting in Torres del Paine National Park on a given day, based on 1,020 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 106 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Red-gartered Coot in Torres del Paine National Park?

September and November

In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Red-gartered Coot in Torres del Paine National Park on a given day, against about 20% in June, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Red-gartered Coot?

Between 2 and 5 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-gartered Coot sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Torres del Paine National Park the best place to see a Red-gartered Coot?

Yes

Of the 4 parks where we can rate Red-gartered Coot sightings, Torres del Paine National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Nahuel Huapi National Park (Argentina, about 20%) and Tijuca National Park (Brazil, about 10%).

Where does the Red-gartered Coot sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Red-gartered Coot is recorded against all the birds logged in Torres del Paine National Park (1,020 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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