What do you know about the Hoacín bird?
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| What do you know about the Hoacín bird? |
The hoacín (Opisthocomus hoazin), also known as hoatzín, chinchona (in the Llanos), pava severe (in Bolivia), sansho (in Peru), guacharo de agua (in Venezuela) or honda pava (in Colombia), is a species of opisthocomiform bird, the only representative of the genus Opisthocomus and the family Opisthocomidae. There are no known subspecies The word Opisthocomus comes from gr. opiate, behind and from gr. comes, hair.
Hoatzin (Opisthocornus hoazin) world.png
It is a peculiar tropical bird that lives in the swampy areas that surround the Amazon and Orinoco rivers, in South America.
Summary
Taxonomic position
Characteristics
Digestive system
Reproduction
Voice
Taxonomic position
There has been much debate about its relationship with other species of birds. It has been given a family of its own, Opisthocomidae, and has previously been included within the Galliformes or Gruiformes order, because of its resemblance to the agami. Charles Sibley considered it more similar to cuckoos, which leads to more controversy because cuckoos have zygodactyl legs (two toes forward and two backward), while those of the hoacin are perissodactyl (three toes forward and one toe facing behind).
Cladistic analyzes suggest a relationship between the hoacin and the seriemas family (Cariamidae) and, more distantly, with turacos (Musophagidae) and cuckoos.
Characteristics
It has the dimensions of a pheasant, but it is much more slender, with a longer neck and tail, and a small head. It has a limited flight capacity. Approximate size: 60 cm. Bright blue bare face, red iris, head adorned with a raised, disheveled, fan-shaped crest. Head with crest, front of neck and chest buff-tan, rest of the upper part chestnut. The dorsal part of the body almost all tan-olive brown. Somewhat long tail, which unfolds when flying, dark brown with broad buff-cinnamon tips.
Digestive system
The hoacin eats the leaves and fruits of plants that grow in the swamps in which it lives. One of the many peculiarities of this species is that it has a unique digestive system among birds. Haines use bacterial fermentation in the front of the stomach to break down the plant material they eat, just as cows and other ruminants do. Because of this, this bird has a manure-like odor and is only hunted for food in times of dire need. This scent is thought to have helped it survive for millions of years and is considered by many to be a living fossil.
Reproduction
Pair of Hoazines
The hoazin is a gregarious species and builds nests in small colonies, laying between 2 and 3 eggs in a nest of twigs built in a tree that hangs over the water. The chick, which is fed on vegetable paste regurgitated by the parents, has another strange characteristic: two claws on each wing, which help it to grasp the branches and climb them. This has inevitably led to a comparison with the fossil bird archeoptérix, with which it is not closely related.
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