Along the river we have been seeing a funny-looking bird that looks like a cross between a chicken and a pterodactyl- the flying dinosaur. Known as the hoatzin, these birds are rather clumsy flyers that respond to our approach by clambering through tree branches and announce their feelings with hisses and croaks. As we get closer, we see their great color combination- brown, orange and white feathers, red eyes, and bright blue facial skin.

Baby hoatzins are commonly preyed upon. A family or flock of 5-10 hoatzins typically stays near water so the little ones can dive into the water to escape predators. Until they can fly, hoatzin chicks get around using not only their feet but also a bizarre pair of claws near the end of each wing!

With their tiny blue head, clawed wings and awkward flight, we see why people once thought the hoatzin was a distant relative of the earliest known bird, the archaeopteryx, which arose during the late Jurassic Period almost 200 million years ago.

Hoatzins are herbivores. They eat only leaves and have a digestive system similar to a cow's. Since leaves are hard to digest, hoatzins have adapted a three-part stomach; one of which uses bacteria in a process called fermentation. This process produces lots of gas, so hoatzins are said to be very stinky birds. Luckily we haven't gotten a whiff of their smelly gas.

Hoatzins are large birds. It is logical to think that they would have lots of predators, but they are not tasty for eating. The leaves of one of the plants that hoatzins eat contain a toxic chemical. When eaten, the leaf's chemical is absorbed by the hoatzin's tolerant muscles. Even a starving person would likely turn down a stinky serving of hoatzin.

Fly on! The sky is not the limit,
Patrick