The Australian coot (Fulica atra australis) of Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand is a subspecies of the Eurasian coot, which is widespread in Europe, North Africa and Asia. A self-introduced waterbird, it self-colonised New Zealand from Australia in the 1950s. First recorded breeding at Lake Hayes in Otago in 1958, it is now classified as a protected native species. It partially fills the ecological niche left vacant by the extinct, prehistoric New Zealand coot. It has a slate-grey to black body with a striking, featherless white bill and frontal shield, and bright red eyes. Prehistoric New Zealand also had its own larger, now-extinct species called the New Zealand coot (Fulica prisca).
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