hoatzin

Everyday

The hoatzin is a strange bird of the Amazon rainforest in South America, with a spiky crest, blue face and red eyes; it eats leaves and smells bad, so it is also called the stinkbird. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons the hoatzin is famous because its chicks have claws on their wings to climb back into trees after dropping into water to escape danger. It digests leaves by fermenting them, like a cow, which gives it a smell like manure. It is the national bird of Guyana. It is a good example of adaptation.

Examples

• The hoatzin lives along rivers in the Amazon rainforest. tree →
• Baby hoatzins have claws on their wings. tree →
• The hoatzin is nicknamed the stinkbird. tree →
• Hoatzin chicks drop into the water to escape snakes. tree →
• The hoatzin eats leaves and digests them like a cow. tree →
• The hoatzin is the national bird of Guyana. tree →

Note

Say «wat-SEEN» or «ho-AT-sin». Countable. The name comes from a Native Mexican (Nahuatl) word.