hoatzin

The hoatzin lives in riverside forests in northern South America. Young hoatzin are unusual in that they leave their nests in the trees soon after hatching and clamber about using two hooked claws at the bend of each wing.

Tropical bird found only in tropical rainforests, usually over rivers, especially in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America. A hoatzin resembles a small pheasant in size and appearance. The beak is thick and the facial skin blue. Adults are olive-coloured with white markings above and red-brown below. The hoatzin is the only bird in its family. (Species Opisthocomus hoatzin, family Opisthocomidae, order Galliformes.)

The young are hatched naked, with claws on their wings, which they use to crawl reptile-fashion about the tree; these claws later fall off. They fly only reluctantly and prefer to climb among branches using their wings – they cannot grip with their feet. Hoatzin are chiefly arboreal, nesting on low trees or shrubs, and feeding on leaves and fruit.