Hoatzin
Opisthocomus hoazin
DistributionHoatzin Distribution
Hoatzins live in swamps, forests and mangroves in the Amazon.
DietHoatzins are herbivorous, eating only leaves, and sometimes the fruits and flowers that grow off some on some of the plants in the Hoatzin's natural habitat. Years ago, Hoatzins were believed only to eat off arums and mangroves, but now they are known to eat more than fifty plant species, 82% leaves, 10% fruits and 8% flowers. Hoatzins digest their food differently to all birds. Hoatzins use fermentation to break down all the vegetation in their stomach, much like cattle. Hoatzins have very a very small gizzard.
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DesciptionHoatzin
Hoatzins are birds around the same size as pheasants, growing up to 65cm in length. Hoatzins have rather small heads on long, elegant necks. Hoatzins have a large, spiky crest that almost looks like a mohawk for a bird. The blue areas on the Hoatzin have no feathers upon them and really bring out the maroon eyes that Hoatzins have. Hoatzins have a lovely, almost-black brown tail with a pale yellow-brown tip. Hoatzins have the same almost-black brown on their wings, sometimes with a few chestnut-brown feathers, too. The underparts of the Hoatzin are a yellow-brown colour. Hoatzins give off an odour that some might desribe as manure-like, which gives the Hoatzin its nickname The Stinkbird. Hoatzins make a variety of low-sounding calls such as groans, croaks, grunts and hisses. Every now and then, you can also hear a Hoatzin's wings flapping. Hoatzins are very clumsy, and you can always find them falling over on branches and making utter fools of themselves.
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LifeHoatzins breed by seasons, and the season they mate in is the rainy season. Hoatzins stay together in a small group, as they find safety in numbers. Hoatzins will lay 2-3 eggs in a nest made out of sticks, twigs and fallen branches over a water source. Hoatzin chicks have a unique set of claws on their wings and outsized feet to stop them from falling into the watere below.
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Threats and DangersHoatzins are a thriving species of bird that is nowhere near extinct. However, if Deforestation continues, then Hoatzins could become endangered. Hoatzins do have predators, and larger animals like jaguars and harpy eagles might enjoy the taste of Hoatzins. Humans, on the other hand, would only eat Hoatzins if they were desperate.
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DefencesWhen Hoatzins are young, they are in danger of becoming meals to larger animals. If large animals raid the groups of Hoatzins with chicks, the adults will create diversions so that the chicks can climb from the trees using the two claws on their wings and hide. If they are spotted by the predators, they will use the water as their last resort for being safe and will dive under the water's surface until the coast is clear, and will climb out of the water with the help of the claws on their wings.
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