Hoazin

In the tropical forests of the Amazon lives a very interesting bird hoazin. It reaches the size of a chicken and a thin neck. Unlike all of its feathered relatives Hoazin has modified wings with claws, which ruled him by the arms. They are adapted for grasping and travels along the ground.

In the tropical forests of the Amazon lives a very interesting bird hoazin

Hoazin with these wings can cling to tree branches, and hang for a long time. Hoazin bad flies and walks slowly on the ground. Unusual bird has quite a strong defensive weapon. From it comes a fairly strong bad breath. It is clear that Hoazin meat unfit for food. I wonder what Hoazin not singing as usual birds and croaking like a frog.

Body length Hoazin about 60 cm. The plumage on the upper side of the body is brown-brown, and the underside of the body whitish. On the head and nape Hoazin has a tuft of narrow pointy feathers with light yellow dots.

Lives Hoazin in flooded thickets along the banks of rivers. It feeds mainly on plant food. The leaves and fruit bird Hoazin digests by fermentation, such as ruminants. All this occurs not in the stomach, and large (7,5 times smaller than the birds) goiter. It is from this Hoazin and has extremely unpleasant smell of dung.

Hoazin nests in small colonies from December to July, putting their nest in low trees and putting in a clutch of 2-4 eggs. Hoazin Chicks are fed with a mixture of half-digested leaves.

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