Reptile bird, Skunk bird, Stinkbird, Canje pheasant
The hoatzin ( hoh-AT-sin) or hoactzin ( hoh-AKT-sin; Opisthocomus hoazin ), also known as the reptile bird, skunk bird, stinkbird, or Canje pheasant, is a species of tropical bird found in swamps, riparian forests, and mangroves of the Amazon and the Orinoco basins in South America. It is notable for having chicks that have claws on two of their wing digits.
It is the only member of the genus Opisthocomus (Ancient Greek: "long hair behind", referring to its large crest). This is the only extant genus in the family Opisthocomidae. The taxonomic position of this family has been greatly debated by specialists, and is still far from clear.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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Soaring birdsSoaring birds can maintain flight without wing flapping, using rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Hoatzin is a tropical bird native to South America. It is notable for having chicks that have claws on two of their wing digits. The hoatzin has an unfeathered blue face with maroon eyes, and its head is topped by a spiky, rufous crest. The long, sooty-brown tail is broadly tipped buff. The upperparts are dark, sooty-brown-edged buff on the wing coverts, and streaked buff on the mantle and nape. The under parts are buff, while the crissum (the undertail coverts surrounding the cloaca), primaries, underwing coverts, and flanks are rich rufous-chestnut, but this is mainly visible when it opens its wings.
Hoatzins are found in the Amazon and the Orinoco basins in South America. These birds live in riparian forests, swamps, and mangroves.
Hoatzins are non-migratory gregarious birds. They live in family groups or small flocks. They are active during the day and usually forage in the early morning and early evening spending the rest of their time roosting. When feeding they clamber around clumsily among the branches, and are quite tame (though they become stressed by frequent visits). Hoatzins are poor fliers; they only soar from tree to tree and need a lot of noisy efforts to move away when alarmed. These are quite vocal birds that communicate with a variety of hoarse calls, including groans, croaks, hisses, and grunts. Their calls are often associated with body movements, such as wing spreading.
Hoatzins are herbivores (folivores). They eat the leaves of the plants that grow in the marshy and riverine habitats where they live. They may also occasionally feed on fruits and flowers.
Hoatzins are monogamous which means that males will mate with only one female and females will mate with only one male. They breed during the rainy season and nest in small colonies. Females lay 2 or 3 eggs in a stick nest in a tree hanging over water in seasonally flooded forests. The eggs are incubated around 32 days by both parents. The chicks usually remain in the nest for 2 or 3 weeks after hatching and are fed by both parents for up to 2 months. The begin tp fly at 55-65 days and reach reproductive maturity when they are 1 year old.
Hoatzins remain fairly common in a large part of their range and are not considered endangered. However, these birds suffer from habitat loss and in some regions, their preferred habitats, mangrove, and riverine forest are disappearing quickly. In Brazil, indigenous peoples sometimes collect their eggs for food, and the adult birds are occasionally hunted.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the hoatzin population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...