Fulica

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A genus of birds in the family Rallidae, known commonly as coots
2. aquatic birds recognized for their distinctive, often bald heads and strong swimming abilities
3. species that inhabit freshwater and can be found in a wide range of wetland environments

Etymology: Fulica is the Latin name for the coot, and it was used as a bird name long before anyone thought of it as a scientific term. Classical Latin "fulica" referred to a water bird, probably the coot, and it is often linked to "fulvus" ("tawny" or "reddish-yellow"), though the exact connection is uncertain. The name is also related to the Latin verb "fulicare," which some sources connect with the idea of the bird's dark plumage. When Carl Linnaeus systematised plant and animal names in the 18th century, he adopted "Fulica" as the genus name for the coots. Under the rules of binomial nomenclature, the name now denotes a single group of birds in the rail family, Rallidae. The genus contains about a dozen species, including the Eurasian coot, "Fulica atra," and the American coot, which is found across North America.

Synonyms: coot, waterfowl, marsh bird