NL·0573Herbarium of the Nature Library
- Name
- Opisthocomus hoazin
- Family
- Opisthocomidae
- Native to
- Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America
- Habitat
- Flooded forest, Mangroves, Riverbanks
On eBird ↗
Hoatzin
Live sightings near you, the range map, bar charts of when it is seen, and Macaulay Library photos and recordings.
Hoatzin
Opisthocomus hoazin
Also calledHoactzin (Nahuatl, origin of name) · Shansho (Peruvian Spanish) · Cigana (Brazilian Portuguese) · Stinkbird (English)
A crested Amazonian bird that digests leaves by fermenting them in its crop, like a cow. Its chicks have claws on their wings and can climb back to the nest after escaping into water.
The hoatzin is a species of tropical bird found in swamps, riparian forests, and mangroves of the Amazon and Orinoco Basins in South America. It is the only extant species in the genus Opisthocomus which is the only extant genus in the family Opisthocomidae under the order Opisthocomiformes. Despite being the subject of intense debate by specialists, the taxonomic position of this family is still far from clear. Wikipedia
What it can do
- iForegut fermentation of leaves by bacteria in an enlarged crop
- iiChicks use two wing claws to climb branches
- iiiChicks drop into water to escape predators and swim back
- ivSmells strongly of manure from its fermenting crop
- vSole living member of an ancient lineage
In the field
Field marks
- aPheasant-sized bird with a spiky, ragged crest
- bBare blue facial skin and red eyes
- cBrown above, buff breast, chestnut belly and wings
- dClumsy flight over water
- Voice
- Hoarse hisses, grunts and wheezes
- Not to be confused with
- No close lookalike; its odd shape and blue face are distinctive.
- Where to see it
- Oxbow lakes and rivers of the Amazon, e.g. Lake Sandoval (Tambopata, Peru) and Cuyabeno (Ecuador)
- When
- Resident
Listen
Looking for field recordings…
Life & habits
- Diet
- Leaves, buds and flowers of marsh plants
- Habitat
- Swamps, riverbanks and oxbow lakes
- Size
- About 65 cm; ~800 g
Groups nest communally in branches overhanging water, with helpers from previous broods aiding parents.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Native range
Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Opisthocomus hoazin in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
Marginalia
It is the national bird of Guyana. Its wing-clawed chicks were once compared to Archaeopteryx, though the claws evolved independently.
Curiosity
It is rarely hunted, because its meat is said to taste and smell foul.
Kinship
Photographs: iNaturalist contributors under the licences shown. Records: GBIF.org. Historical plates: Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0; originals public domain). Summary text: Nature Library editors and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Medicinal and edibility notes are historical and educational, not advice. iNaturalist taxon 1626.